Sleeping in to cope with the pain, or lying awake and hating everything I felt that could have had a possible impact



15. On The Verge by Thrown

-The hip kids would call this numetalcore, on account of the rapping (should we call scream rapping scrapping? screeping?) and self-hatred. Still gets the core down with a 12 song, 22 minute album though. They have a headlining tour coming up next year with only about 31 minues of total material lol. Its gonna be awesome.

Merry Christmas to all!

SZAs Lana album (its 15 new songs fuck a deluxe edition) was great but obviously too late to change anything here as I can barely finish posting the songs I already have. So will use BMF and Scorsese Baby Daddy (so glad this song lived up to its title) next year (if there is a next year!)

I aint never your kind, late but Im really on time, girl, what you put in your mind



14. Yeern 101 by Schoolboy Q

-School (I can call him that cause were cool) is always at his best when he's making fast/aggressive songs that you can still dance to. Both like the last band and not like them at all. Whats a word for that? Not only did School have a good year, but LA rap in general. I might have to give that city another chance.

Merry boxing day!!

Despite the glacial pace of the list this year, we can still finish before the new year. Will definitely get 13-11 in today (which may contain a surprise) and will trickle down to 1 by new years.

Fuck it if I can't have us



13. Down Bad by Taylor Swift

-Surprise! For the first time since 2018 (!!), Taylor Swift does not have a song in the FF top ten of the year. One might think "oh he didn't like TTPD", but on the contrary I love it and if anything, the reason its so low is because I have a hard time picking a favorite song off it. There's like atleast 10 good choices. Down Bad wins for being a nice little middleground between the more Midnighty first half and Evermorian second half. Hits the feels perfectly. And she says fuck a lot. So yeah, while Taylor won't be competing for the top song spot, Tortured Poets Department will be a major player on the albums list.

You climbed right under my skin, don't know where I begin or where you end



12. Lately by Rufus Du Sol

-Rufus is definitely my favorite of this new gen of chillwave electro music. They started like the others, just being used to help me sleep or be calm, but Rufus can also double as a hype machine with songs like Lately. So they are right in between Lane 8 and Justice in terms of sound. They always know how to bring out on the opening track (or track after the intro in this case.)

In my time, you taught me how to see each generation gives it own apology



11. Gen-X Cops by Vampire Weekend

-Perhaps another surprise since the Vamp have been in the top 3 the last two album releases (#1 in 2013 with Unbelievers.) And another case where an album of the year contender makes it difficult to pick the best song off it. Went with GXC cause of the catchy opening riff and the lyric posted above. Really does tell a good story of someone coming to terms with a changing world (though the world has changed again quite a bit since then...)

Well at least I recognize Taylor and Vampire Weekend

Top 10?

Its coming! My nearly dead computer has made it difficult to just post quick one and dones as Id have liked to done over the past few days. But... I should be able to do:

10 and 9 before sleep tonight.

8,7,6 before work party tomorrow

5-1 before going out on new years eve

Album of the year on New Years Day when I have no plans whatsoever.


So stay tuned!

Teaser: there are 3 songs that charted in billboard top ten, at least one more in the top 100. You'll recognize 2 more after that if you watch Jimmy Kimmel. And while the other 4 artists are mostly unknown, they aren't all extremely heavy like the unknowns of 2023.

I'll be what you thought would never eventuate



10. Character Development (Cold Start) by 156/Silence

-OK well this one is pretty heavy. It also wins two awards for the year - the very best guitar riff and also the highest climb from its starting position on the FF, where it was around the other metalcore acts like Boundaries, Alpha Wolf, Erra, etc... Any other song on the album (which are all dope) would be around there but Character Development is just so damn cool that it kept rising and rising, eventually knocking down old people like Taylor and Vamp.

I want you to stay till I'm in the grave



9. BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Billie Eilish

-If this was on Billie's When We All Fall Asleep... album it would have been pretty creepy and intense. If it was on Happier Than Ever it would have a really slow beat and put us to sleep. Billie's embrace of puss-monching and that sexy dance beats that come along with it really opened up her sound (among other things) without really ever sacrificing the horny melancholy asmr that has defined her career. I've talked about how a change in production can go a long way and theres no better example than Birds of a Feather.

From every inch of the mire, they claw to grasp for what was never theirs to take



8. They're All Around Us by Poppy

-Poppy is a girl/robot that has been through a lot of sound changes. Its incredible to go back to her Jpop days and realize its the same person. And whilst she had done plenty of rock stuff before (including an entire album for HHH to play on NXT), she finally got her metalcore upgrade chip implanted this year and it turns out she can do it as well as anyone. I was split between this Spiritboxey song and the much more Evanescencey 'The Cost of Giving Up', but even though nobody here is gonna be sold on TAAU I gotta highlight those screams of her. Her beautiful poppy (hehe) style voice comes through in the hook though, so its really the best of both worlds. Maybe we should let the AI take over after all .. Poppy for President!

Falling through the static, its all in my head



7. Sleepless Deathbed by Invent Animate

-Hey its last years #1 band(with Immolation of Night)! Luckily for all of us, they weren't quite done with their Heavener era and delivered a definitive edition with 3 extra songs, including this absolute beast. Honestly, if this song was on the original version of the album it might have topped Travis Scott for album of the year - but then it also couldn't have been on the chart this year. Gives and takes right? Anyways, while the riff and screams are up to IAs usual standard, I do think the clean hook on this song might be the very best they've done. Really .... hooks you in don't it?

*Says this year isn't gonna be as heavy*

*3 of the first 4 songs are heavy as shit*

I guess what I meant was that the very top of the list wasn't dominated by one genre like it was last year.

Also have to head out so the previously promised #6 will have to wait until later!

Fire in the sunrise, ashes raining down



6. Heavy Is The Crown by Linkin Park

-Posting the live version since the real video is some League of Legends tie in shit. This was arguably the biggest return this year (some might say Oasis) and also arguably the most controversial. Sure, you had the usual crowd getting mad about women and blah blah, but perhaps the more serious critics were saying words like "cover band", "disrespecting legacies" and even "rape apologist." People are still really sensitive about the death of Chester Benington and the idea of him being replaced. And maybe rightfully so. I think we all can understand why there are those who wish this new version of LP could have gone by a different name, but thats just not how the world works. A rose by any other name will make a fraction of the money. So this album had a ton of expectations on it, as it was the only way to prove that this reunion was a good idea and not just a cash grab. Luckily, they did a fantastic job, overdelivering several new LP classics, the best being this one. The crown may be heavy, but they're right, this is what we asked for, and so far Emily is carrying the weight.

Happy new years eve! Crazy to realize that yet another year has gone by and it feels like just yesterday i was posting about Invent Animate and Olivia Rodigo and Travis Scott reigning over 2023. I guess thats a side effect of getting old lol.

Anyways, lets kick off the top 5 with something real cool!

I'm an honest man, I admit my mistakes, but what good is that when your reality breaks?



5. Dirty Mirror Selfie by Origami Angel

-Guess we get a twofer with the music video, but since only song is allowed per artist lets focus of the first one :-p. If you only listen to first 30 seconds of this song and turn it off, one could lump this in with heavier side of the music spectrum. However, a little bit of patience will let this song settle into being an undeniably catchy emo revival. If this music video came out 25 years ago it would probably be cutting between different members of the American Pie cast singing and acting goofy. And then after all that they still deliver and awesome, moshworthy breakdown, one that the goth kids from The Faculty would be dancing along to. Its just a perfect balance of sound. So much fun and wins the award for my favorite live performance of the year too. Well, of a new song, Slayer's 'Angel of Death' wins overall best performance :-p .

When you wake up next to him in the middle of the night, with you're head in his hands you're nothing more than his wife



4. Good Luck Babe! by Chappell Roan

-Pretty surprised this one doesn't have a full music video considering how popular it is. Maybe thats why it could never break through to #1? But even with no #1 hit, its hard to debate that Chaps had a miraculous year, going from a total nobody at this time last year to one of the biggest stars in the world (I hear this song and freaking Hot To Go everywhere now...) I didn't really even know about her till making the decision to go to Gov Ball last year (mostly for Carly Rae Jepsen and The Killers) and being greeted with her now infamous Massive Crowds. Seriously I got there like 40 minutes early and was stuck near the back the whole time (I could tell she was green, but could not tell she was the statue of libery.) Chaps also displayed a strong personality, yelling at papparazzi, refusing to endorse any politicians, putting on the battle armor at the vmas, etc... So even though her album came out at the end of last year, Chaps really made a mark on 2025 and could claim herself as its top breakout pop star.

Bend the knee, child of god, BLEHG!



3. Blinding Faith by Knocked Loose

-Even amongst metal fans, Knocked Loose are an acquired taste. The dude's voice is so high pitched and can be a turn off. In fact, it was for me for a long while and didn't click until late last year with Deep In The Willow (aka Knocked Loose Motherfucker!) That song was in the close calls, but probably would be in this very same high position if the taste been acquired sooner. Luckily we have Blinding Faith to take the spot instead, which is also the most badass of badassery. Love me a good intro that explodes into the main song - as do KL as they used this song to kick off their summer headlining tour before joining Slipknot in the fall. Its a great song on its own, but even better in context of the record where it is actually near the end and a culmination of all the themes introduced earlier. That opening riff hitting is the musical equivalent of watching the orcs surround helms deep.

Every time I think the worst is over now, you just say one thing and I find a way to turn it around



2. Calling You Out by Charly Bliss

-Well thats a fun music video with a static camera that keeps changing lenses for the first half of the video then going handheld with the songs picks up the pace in the second half. Charly Bliss answer the question "what if Weezer woke up one day and decided to make a Carly Rae Jepsen album." That sentence alone is Flava'd Bait. This would be an easy #1 song in most years, just so happens that 2024 had a song (or songs) that was just slightly more special. This song is not only a catchy bop, but also helps to explain the mania that women feel when struck by a spell of irrational jealously. Though really, we've all had moments where we look back at a memory and say "was that really me? Why did I do that?"

Also, it pairs perfectly with the follow up song on the album "Back There Now." If not for the one song per artist rule that would have made the top ten as well.

Happy new year! 2025 is probably gonna be remember for the downfall of human civilization, but hopefully they give us some good music to distract us from the fire!

The #1 artist is almost definitely obvious at this point (as if it wasn't all along), but what song will it be? There are 3 good choices after all. Find out ... later!

Is #1 the Charli XCX brat thing?

Nope! Charli was already here at 50 with the Lorde makeup song. #1 is....

The very first time I shot me a drake, the homie had told me to aim it this way, I didn't point down enough, today I show'll you I learned from those mistakes



1. Euphoria by Kendrick Lamar

-An audio evisceration, perhaps the greatest one ever. Just bar after bar after bar tearing down one of the biggest personalities in music. Kendrick started the war (though he might argue otherwise), Kendrick peaked during the war, Kendrick ended the war. This song is like Gandalf riding down the hills of Helms Deep to crush the horde of orc. Not only an amazing diss song, but just one of the best hip hop songs in general. The changes so many times through a hookless six and a half minutes. It popped eyes when it first dropped and its still popping em.

Not Like Us and Like That should also be mentioned here, I love em both, but Euphoria is just more savage, and did I mention all the beat changes? It wins the civil war of Kendrick.