I Wrote About All 121 Of My Most Listened To Songs Ever On Spotify
To be honest, I don't know why I did this.
There are a lot of things I don’t like about Spotify. But I have to give it to them, they do some pretty neat things that get my attention about my own consumption (like Wrapped, even though I think they’re kinda lying about the music).
To celebrate their 20th year, I woke up with a playlist of my all-time most listened to songs. Not only was it fun to go look at, it’s actually a good and pretty deep listen.
For some reason, I decided to write a little bit about each of the songs. This is how I spent most of my Memorial Day. You can listen to the playlist here:
Two things before I get going here:
1. This is definitely not all time for me, as when we started the Carl Landry Record Club I started a second account around 2020 for the pod, and slowly transitioned to only using this account by about 2022 or 2023. So it’s really just my most listened to songs since then.
2. On the podcast, The Carl Landry Record Club, we like to listen to albums people love and talk about them. If you’d like to suggest an album, do it at the link below. With that, in random order, here is the list and my thoughts.
Gang Of Youths “The Angel Of 8th Avenue” - This was the first single of their album “Angel In Real Time” and I’m pretty sure the only song we had from it for a while. They’re one of my favorite bands but not particularly prolific when it comes to releasing music. This song is a perfect example of what a band would be like if they combined only the good parts of U2 and Bruce Springsteen (I don’t like either artist but love this song and band).
Linkin Park “The Emptiness Machine” - Their return with new singer Emily Armstrong. This is one of those songs that actually did not hit me right away, but slowly grew on me and I never got tired of it. May have felt differently if I was still working at an Alternative radio station.
Ethel Cain “American Teenager” - I know she says she wishes she never released this song or something, but I’m glad she did. Preacher’s Daughter is a pretty special album and this song within the context of the album I think makes a lot of sense, as it’s clearly much more poppy sounding than the rest of it. I am pretty sure the fact that the lyrics are so serious and sort of dark and the sound is so poppy is on purpose.
Gang Of Youths “Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane” - Simply one of my favorite songs of all time. The lyrics are perfect, it’s somehow 7:33 and it leaves me wanting more when it’s over. It’s one of those moments where Gang Of Youths shows that they do big better than anyone.
Joan “Face” - One of the things that Spotify does well (to its benefit and detriment) is feed you music that it’s pretty sure you’ll like. One day it fed me this song (and then the EP it came from), and boy was it right. Somehow like a combination of Peter Gabriel and the Backstreet Boys, not only did I become obsessed with the EP, but then with the band (it’s two guys, I guess that’s a band).
limpbizkit “Dad Vibes” - Their first song since the Gold Cobra album (I think), and the first song they released during the full limpbizkit revival that I had been predicting for years, before anyone else, and that nobody gave me credit for. I was obsessed with this song for like a month and then never listened again. It’s been fun to revisit it.
Julia Michaels “All Your Exes” - I could write a book about how big Julia Michaels should be as a solo artist. She’s already very prolific as a song writer for others, but her solo stuff, particularly up through this song, really deserves a bigger audience. Unfortunately I felt like they tried to paint her as a normal pop star when I think she should have lived more as sort of a solo pop punk act as her songs are both angsty, awesome and feel pretty honest.
Sueco “Salt” - Sueco was an artist I discovered on TikTok. I mean, I didn’t discover him, I mean that’s where I personally first found him. I went back and listened to everything he had released, and this song is just an incredible ballad. He doesn’t seem like he’s as popular as I think he should be but I think one of his songs will do that for him.
Matt Skiba “Good Fucking Bye” - I love this song from Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, and I’ve always loved it, just not sure how it made this list. I don’t ever remember being addicted to it. Maybe just one of those songs that winds up on every playlist. “You made me such an asshole, I wish we’d never met,” is a banger of a line.
Joan “Magic” - Would end up on the full length album “This Won’t Last Forever” but these listens are from its appearance on the “Face” EP. Joan is part of a group of super poppy bands that I have a hard time defining. It’s not pop punk, it’s not power pop. But I do think Joan does it better than all of them.
Ethel Cain “Thoroughfare” - This is my favorite song on “Preacher’s Daughter.” I don’t particularly love long songs, but when I love a long song I love it forever. This song feels like reading a great book. It would fit in so many different artist’s catalogs. I think it could be a Pearl Jam song, it could be a country song (insert some good country artist that wouldn’t make you sick), I don’t know, it could be a Guns N’ Roses song.
Against Me! “Thrash Unreal” - The first song on the first album they had that really had a commercial push, New Wave. I’d imagine this album is sort of polarizing within the Against Me! fan base but it was when I really discovered them and I love it. I remember I was working at Q101 in Chicago, and Kevin Manno I think was doing overnights for us, and was a huge AM fan. I think I told him to play it every hour if he felt like it.
Gayle “ABCDEFU” - I am aware since I became a fan that people think Gayle is some kind of industry plant (whatever that means) or something. This song is awesome and I think kind of perfect. Also, having seen her live, she’s definitely talented and a great performer, and I think has a bunch of really cool interesting songs. I hope she keeps going.
Olivia Rodrigo “Driver’s License” - My take on this song is that as big as it was, it’s still underrated. I really think it’s one of the best pop songs I’ve ever heard. It scratches every itch a pop song does, and somehow leaves you feeling it’s slightly above the fray. There are a lot of big hits that just get forgotten largely over the years, but I think this song will probably go in the opposite direction.
Falling In Reverse “Ronald” - I had never heard about this song till I decided to listen to it when I saw the cover art and it reminded me of Andrew WK. This is simply one of the most fucking insane metal songs you’ll ever hear. It was the only thing I listened to for weeks. Even if you don’t like heavy music, I think you’ll say “what the fuck was that” when you hear it.
Brand New “The Quiet Things No One Ever Knows” - Kind of feel lame as an enormous Brand New fan having such a regular person song on the list, but the list is the list. This song came out before I discovered Brand New, which happened in 2006 with The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Of Me, an album a different Manno (Ryan) correctly told me was amazing and I didn’t quite get at first. I don’t know, this is a great song. I love it still.
Every Time I Die “Dark Distance” - From my favorite ETID album Radical, they are a band for me that is the ultimate hit or miss band. The songs I like, I love. The songs I don’t like, just sound like throwaways to me. This song just to me, shows what they’re best at. They no longer exist, I hope you got a chance to see them at a Warped Tour or Ozzfest or something back in the day.
The Wallflowers “Maybe Your Heart’s Not In It No More” - Hey look, what if the Wallflowers came out with a new record that was actually awesome and kind of sounded like it was exactly in the pocket of their most successful stuff, just that the guys were older and delivered it that way. They did!
Alkaine Trio “Mercy Me” - I think this album, Crimson, is pretty unassailable. Like many bands on this list, I discovered them in the middle of their career so I have an affinity for that stuff and the stuff that came after it more than I do the earlier stuff. The first album I ever heard from Alkaline Trio is Crimson, and it is my favorite.
Gang Of Youths “Spirit Boy” - Angel In Realtime was a grower for me, just like every Gang Of Youths album is, but this song was not. Immediately it was my favorite song on the album. GOY lyrics are always one of the best things about the songs, but this one is particularly good. “God died today, and left me in the cold,” is quite a way to begin a song.
Gang Of Youths “Atlas Drowned” - My first experience with Gang Of Youths was what I believe was the very first suggestion for The Carl Landry Record Club when it was just a Covid-era feature of the Ricky. After listening to the album (Go Farther In Lightness) a couple of times, I found it to be good but not outstanding. It was Atlas Drowned, months later, that popped back into my head and I couldn’t escape it. It’s one thing to write a great arena rock song, and and another that would crush in an arena. This is the latter.
Brand New “OK I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don’t” - The first time I ever saw Brand New it was at the House of Blues in Chicago in 2006, and I really didn’t know much of any of their catalog. Jesse Lacey, the singer, was very sick, I think it made the show itself seem more dark than it would normally be. This song came on, and the thing happened where everyone was singing the song so loud you couldn’t hear him. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you want to go home and listen to the song.
War On Drugs “Change” - I will never forget that the moment that War On Drugs album I Don’t Live Here Anymore came out, the band was for some reason on The Ricky. Adam (the singer) ate grapes loudly through the pod. This is a band that has headlined Madison Square Garden. In any case, this album just to me feels like late Fall. This song has often times been the song in my mind I can’t escape. It feels like equal parts hope and regret. Not necessarily the lyrics, it’s how the song feels.
Joan “Eyes” - I can’t express how much you should listen to the Face EP from Joan. I think there’s only one miss on it, and it ain’t this one. When Joan nails a hook, they really nail it, and they really nail it on this one. It’s one of those songs that when it hits you, play on repeat over and over again. When it kicks into second gear at the 70 second mark, it grabs hold and won’t let you go.
Silverchair “Straight Lines” - Though it’s hard to pinpoint a favorite band, I’ve loved Silverchair longer than I’ve loved any band I think. If there’s a favorite band, its Silverchair. I will not forget where I was when I first heard this song, that they streamed on their website before it officially “came out” in 2007. A longtime fan, it had been a long while since they released music. We recorded it off of the stream, and threw it right on the air on Q101 in Chicago, where I worked at the time. I was able to book them to play our Christmas concert “Twisted” at the Chicago House Of Blues, where they played on the final night I worked for the station. A career highlight, for sure, and a magnificent song.
Papa Roach “Scars” - Pretty crazy to think that Papa Roach has now been popular for over 25 years, as “Last Resort” came out in 2000. They are still very popular in their world, still doing big numbers touring and still releasing rock radio hits. They’re one of those bands that has just enough songs to do an 80 minute set of all awesome songs. It’s tough when the first song you ever release as good as “Last Resort” was, but man “Scars” is just a perfect song, living in that world that is just too uptempo to be a ballad but is spiritually a ballad. GO.. FIX… YOURSELF!
Gang Of Youths “In The Wake Of Your Leave” - This was not one of my favorites from Angel In Realtime until I saw them perform it at Brooklyn Bowl, the only time I ever saw them live. Not exactly sure what it was, but I appreciated the song more, and it’s no longer a skip for me as it was at one time.
Yungblud “Hello Heaven, Hello” - His cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” at the Ozzy tribute concert turned him into an artist I was aware of to an artist I was actively trying to learn more about. At about that time, he’d released Idols, his new album. This is the first song on that album, a nine minute, slightly too big for its britches song that almost feels like what it would sound like if Def Leppard listened to a Fall Out Boy album and decided to write its answer to November Rain and release it right after they recorded Adrenalize.
Sueco “POS” - The first Seuco song I ever heard. Probably the only song that can ever pull of screaming “Shut the fuck up!!!” 15 seconds into the song.
Gang Of Youths “Unison” - Not much to say about this one, just another amazing track from Angel In Realtime.
Lana Del Rey “Cruel World” - As a current Lana devotee, it’s hard to imagine that three or four years ago I’d only heard of Lana Del Rey, and never listened. She was regularly mentioned on Red Scare, but I’d sort of tuned It out as I was never too interested. It was when they reviewed her most recent album Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard, that I decided to go have a listen. It was Ultraviolence that stuck out to me (as I once had a Clockwork Orange tattoo that I got when I was 17 that is now covered him), and this is the first track. It wasn’t 60 seconds into the song that I thought to myself “I have to listen to every song she’s ever released now.”
Gang Of Youths “forbearance” - I would imagine if you’re reading this and haven’t listened to Angel In Realtime, you’ll give it a try. When you do that, reading about where the album came from (or listen to the interview we did with the singer about it), you’ll learn about his journey after his father’s death finding out about another life he led. The songs are deeply personal, and this is one of them. “And the world is not quite done with me yet.”
Gang Of Youths “The Man Himself” - I love strings in rock music. I loved when Smashing Pumpkins did it years ago, I love when Silverchair does it. I have no problem with things being overproduced, because I think sometimes it’s magic. This song starts with violin, has a ton going on, but I think it’s beautiful.
Butch Walker “Fuck It (I Don’t Like Love) - I’ve mentioned Silverchair as an all-time favorite band, and Butch Walker is probably my favorite solo artist of all-time. I really just sort of am into every phase he’s been through, the power pop in the beginning, the Springsteenish Jersey rock period, and then this album that came out during Covid called American Love Story. Funny enough, the album cover is tattooed on my right hand, but it’s far from my favorite Walker album. I was going through something, and it seems like he was too. The songs are still great, though some of the subject matter feels a little cringey too listen to now. This one still holds up though.
Linkin Park “Given Up” - The first song on Minutes To Midnight is such an absolute monster. I miss that we’ll never see Chester Bennington perform it again. No idea why I’ve listened to it so much over the last few years, though I suspect its that their return just made me go back and listen.
Robyn “Dancing On My Own” - There is no backstory here. Only that when she was first popular in the 90s with Show Me Love and Do You Know What It Takes, I probably was a bigger fan than most. I’m not trying to be some OG Robyn guy. Who doesn’t love this song?
5 Seconds Of Summer “COMPLETE MESS” - My way into 5 Seconds Of Summer was Ashton Irwin’s (the drummer) solo album Superbloom. They’re a good band, hit or miss for me personally. They’re obviously insanely good songwriters, and this one just caught me for some reason.
Spanish Love Songs “Routine Pain” - This album, Brave Faces Everyone, was one of the albums that was suggested for The Carl that truly stuck with me. It lives in the vibes of the best Against Me! albums. You can imagine being in a small concert venue, sweaty, everyone chanting “let me ruin my guts tonight!” The first song on the album starts off with the lyrics, “On any given day, I’m a six of ten.”
Amy Shark “Only Wanna Be With You” - You can file Amy Shark away with Julia Michaels as a pop artist that I think should be more popular than she is. An Australian, I discovered her covering Silverchair on Triple J’s Like A Version. I just think this is a great pop song. If you like Olivia Rodrigo, imagine her just with a little more experience. What lyrics would Rodrigo write if she was 30 not 20.
Linkin Park “Bleed It Out” - Minutes to Midnight ages very well, and this is one of the songs that ages well on the album. Going back and listening, it’s just amazing how raw this album sounds.
Smashing Pumpkins “Mayonaise” - What a beautiful song. It’s on this list because I was learning how to play it on guitar so I had to play it over and over again.
Ashton Irwin “Skinny Skinny” - Ashton Irwin is the drummer for 5 Seconds Of Summer. This is a song that sounds like it’s about his battles with bulimia. From a lyrical perspective, it’s pretty interesting. The song itself is almost impossible to compare to anything in that it’s equal parts minimalist (the verses largely just him and an understated acoustic guitar), but with moments of hugeness. Also sort of interesting that fellow Australian Daniel Johns (lead singer of Silverchiar) had his battles with anorexia which were what inspired “Ana’s Song.”
Hinder “Lips Of Angel” - This song gets better as the years go by. I don’t know what else to say about it. Here’s a good related story: when Hinder first debuted I was the Music Director at 94WYSP. Their first single was a real piece of shit called “Get Stoned.” Every other rock radio station played it but us, because I was convinced it was a huge piece of shit. Even though we weren’t playing it, the band and label decided to do a low dough show (I think the tickets were 94 cents) at the TLA. Nobody showed up.
Ethel Cain “A House In Nebraska” - Preacher’s Daughter so successfully captures a mood and a vibe that it’s almost impossible to listen to any of the songs without listening to the rest of the album. I can understand her frustration that “American Teenager” was the song that everyone gravitated to. If I was to present one song to represent the entire album it would be this one.
Rage Against The Machine “Freedom” - This is absolutely a great song, but the reason I played it so much in this time period is because it was being considered as the intro song for Evan & Tiki at WFAN, so I listened to it a lot.
Julia Michaels “Anxiety f/Selena Gomez” - There is something about this era of Julia Michaels. It has a very specific vibe, a very specific sound, but most importantly I think is that the lyrics are all so specific and relatable. “I make all these plans with friends and hope they call and cancel.”
Amos Lee “Seeing Ghosts” - Obviously Amos is a friend of the podcast, and a friend of mine, but lost in that is that long before I knew Amos I was something of an Amos Lee super fan. It’s a funny dynamic, as I have very specific opinions about which of his albums are best, though I keep much of that to myself. I think Dreamland, which he released a couple of years ago, is one of his best. This song just sounds like it’s being performed at Red Rocks in the rain. It’s massive, but isn’t overproduced, it’s just his voice and the big and spaciness of the music itself.
Linkin Park “Heavy Is The Crown” - A good song from the Linkin Park return from Emily Armstrong that is sort of a paint-by-numbers heaving song from Linkin Park. The highlight of the song is a scream that very purposefully matches the Chester Bennington 17 second scream in “Given Up.”
Alkaline Trio “Surprise Surprise” - The guys still got it. This is one of those songs that makes me wish I could sing. I would really love to belt out “Surprise, surprise, I lost my appetite!” in any place besides my car and sound good doing it. They’ve always been so good at writing punk songs that are catchy, but this one is just so grown up.
Honest Av “I’d Rather Overdose f/MOD SUN” - What a fun song. Here’s the story: I saw this guy doing his broke boyfriend character on TikTok (Honest Av), which was kinda funny. Because I watched the videos, I got his music in my algorithm, and I got his new song, this one. My old music programmer brain got working and I just felt like this song would get a lot of requests. So, I even though I only barely know him (we work for the same company), I emailed Kevin Weatherly, the legendary KROQ programmer about the song. For some reason, he read it, responded to it, and they throw it on the air. It reacted well and had a pretty good run at KROQ and a bunch of other alternative stations. I was pretty proud.
The Wallflowers “6th Avenue Heartache” - In my opinion, the best song from Bringing Down The Horse. I remember seeing this video on MTV when I worked overnights at the Sunoco next to the Granite Run Mall. The album is still a monster, one of my favorite ever.
Creed “One Last Breath” - An awesome song but the reason it’s here is because somehow it became the anthem of 5:30pm on the 94WIP Afternoon Show.
Limp Bizkit “Eat You Alive” - I think the LB album Results May Vary, the one album without Wes Borland, is tremendously underrated. This was the first single and I do not think it gets the respect it should get. Is it gross? Yes of course. Is it awesome? Yes obviously. Why have I listened to it so much over the last few years? Not totally sure.
Gang Of Youths “You In Everything” - Another song from Angel In Realtime which just has so much going on. I listen to this album and just imagine the writing and production of it must have taken forever. There are a lot of lyrics, there are a lot of layers to the music, but they all melt together beautifully.
The Fray “A Light That Waits” - My favorite album of 2026 is the new album from The Fray, the first full length without Isaac, their original singer. They have continued as a three piece, with the guitar player as the primary vocalist. I was surprised after I fell in love with the album to see that most reviews panned it. I disagree! What an accomplishment.
Lana Del Rey “Ultraviolence” - This is the title track on my favorite Lana album. She’s at her darkest and spookiest and most ominous on this album. I am disappointed that she hardly tours because it’s made it challenging for me to see her live, but it all kind of fits that she’d be elusive in that way. I like Lana Del Rey because her music is awesome and also because I think she is indisputably cool.
Gracie Abrams “I Love You, I’m Sorry” - Sometimes when I’d be on long drives I’d listen to every song in the Spotify New Music Friday playlist. This one popped up and it was an instant re-listen for me. Sometimes short songs feel unfinished, but sometimes they’re just long enough to leave you wanting to listen again. I think as soon as I parked I texted Friend Of The Pod Jason Lipshutz about how great it was.
A Perfect Circle “The Outsider” - No clue why I’ve listened to this song so much other than it’s excellent.
Rage Against The Machine “Know Your Enemy” - Was also in the running for the Evan & Tiki intro song (I think this one ended up winning the internal vote). I think Rage songs are great openings to radio shows. I’m not the first person to think this obviously.
Ethel Cain “Family Tree” - Just on here because I listened to the album so often.
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus “Face Down” - Great song, but I’ve got to be honest, I don’t remember listening to it on purpose very much!
The Fray “Songs I’d Rather Not Sing” - My favorite song on the aforementioned new album from The Fray. It reminds me of
”Skinny Skinny” by Ashton Irwin in that it’s so quiet and it lets every word shine through.
Alkaline Trio “Radio” - Would probably be on any most listened to list of any streaming service I’ve ever had for any period in my life. Two parts of this song I’ll always scream and sing. “Shaking like a dog shitting razor blades,” and the chorus “I've got a big fat fuckin' bone to pick with you my darling! In case you haven't heard I'm sick! And tired of trying. I wish you would take my radio to bathe with you, plugged in and ready to fall.”
Silverchair “Without You” - When people ask me why I like Silverchair so much, it’s not Frogstomp I point them to (though the album is quite an accomplishment), it’s Diorama. This is the album where Silverchair became the fully realized version of their best selves, which started to come to fruition on the album which came out before it, Neon Ballroom. It’s monstrous and beautiful, and was never truly appreciated because Daniel Johns got sick while touring to promote it and it lost all its momentum.
Linkin Park “When They Come For Me” - Linkin Park made a lot of great songs, this is one of them. I think generally A Thousand Suns and Minutes To Midnight are, not like, slept on, but I’m not sure people understand how good they are.
The Format “Holy Roller” - Gone for 20 years and come back with a song this good? It’s like four songs in one, with a massive hook, and was on repeat for a few weeks for me. It was fun to see them, as they seem very happy to be back touring.
Jimmy Eat World “Big Casino” - Probably my favorite Jimmy Eat World song, also helped get on this list because I was learning how to play it on guitar. “Well there’s lots of smart ideas in books I never read, when the girls come talk to me I wish to hell I had.” Yes I like this song the most even though it’s not on Clarity or Bleed American.
Marvelous 3 “Every Monday” - If you want to hear the very best of the 90s alternative power pop, you will listen to Marvelous 3, the Butch Walker fronted band that had one hit, but many songs that would have had every right to be a hit as well. They reunited over the last few years, and my brother and I went to see them in Atlanta and it was everything I hoped it would be.
Spanish Love Songs “Self-Destruction” - This also comes from Brave Faces Everyone, which I mentioned prior. There are only one or two skips on this album, and every chorus is something you want to pump your fist and yell. “It won’t be this bleak this forever! Yeah right.”
100 Gecs “Dumbest Girl Alive” - This was a Carl Landry Record Club suggestion, and became an obsession of mine for a month or two there. This is from their awesome album 10,000 Gecs. It’s fun to hear Nu Metal influence on current acts, especially in this sort of chaotic hyper pop house arena.
Sueco “Mullholland Drive” - Just listen to songs like this and tell me Sueco doesn’t have it. He’s got it.
Artemas “I Like The Way You Kiss Me” - This song was big on TikTok apparently, but was my way into Artemas, who is awesome. I would have never imagined myself liking music like this, meaning dance music that probably sounds better when you’re on drugs. Maybe it makes me feel young.
Rage Against The Machine “Bombtrack” - I saw Rage Against The Machine when I was much younger, and went to go see them at Madison Square Garden a few years ago on the tour that was cut short because of Zach De La Rocha’s injuries, and would never restart it seems like due to whatever broke them up in the first place. It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.
Tool “Stinkfist” - Aenima is truly one of the greatest rock records ever recorded. Think about how intense this song is and then realize that it was all over MTV. What a time that was. This album was a soundtrack to an entire year of college, and when it hit streaming again it was amazing to revisit. It doesn’t miss.
Metallica “Don’t Tread On Me” - The Black Album is my favorite Metallica album, and I’m not embarrassed at all to say so. More people should be honest about this.
Phoebe Bridgers “Funeral” - A song so great I can’t believe more people don’t love it. I first discovered Phoebe Bridgers when Amos sent me the song “Me and My Dog” by boygenius (which later became the inspiration for a tattoo). This was one of the songs that really stuck with me.
The Fray “My Heart’s A Crowded Room” - Man, I guess I must have really listened to this album a lot. I think lyrically it’s a great turn of phrase, that is “my heart’s a crowded room.”
The Fray “Emerald” - Sounds like an 80s minivan rock song that could have been recorded by Phil Collins or Mike and The Mechanics or something.
Nyck Caution “Pressure” - One of my favorite rappers, who has more great songs than you can shake a stick at. You might recognize this one as the song that usually introduces the 3pm hour on the 94WIP Afternoon Show.
Rise Against “Paper Wings” - My favorite Rise Against song from my favorite Rise Against album. Excited to go see them this Fall, I just wonder if they’ve released so much music that I probably won’t hear a bunch of the songs I like.
Lana Del Rey “Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard” - Some LDR songs sound like they’re from the darkest and most depressing Broadway show of all time, and this might be the best of those.
Finch “What It Is To Burn” - One of the best songs of the screamo era.
Staind “Home” - Sort of surprised this popped up, not because I don’t love it but because I don’t remember listening to it that much. Most people remember Staind from the songs that came after this, post “Outside.” And there are some great songs there, but Dysfunction is their best album front to back, and happened when they were firmly in the nu-metal genre. I remember seeing them at the Electric Factory for a show that had to for some reason be rescheduled (also vaguely remember it being on or near a holiday), and the place just being coated in sweat. The good old days where they would fit 3,500 people into that place.
Brand New “Can’t Get It Out” - I mentioned before that Silverchair’s Diomrama kind of gets lost because of the album cycle being interrupted by Daniel Johns’ sickness. Brand New’s Science Fiction gets the same treatment as while the album was being toured on, Jesse Lacey experienced a cancellation that would sink the band for a long time. The album itself is fantastic though, and a nice reminder that these guys are my age and grew up on the same 90s rock I did.
The Beths “Expert In A Dying Field” - A good song that I don’t remember listening to that much!
Spanish Love Songs “Generation Loss” - Nothing specific to say about this song, only that it being on this list shows how much I listened to this album as it’s not one of my favorites from the record but it’s still on there.
Lil Peep “Crybaby” - I think 2024 was the year I discovered Lil Peep, as I was in a Brand New rabbit hole on YouTube and happened on to this song that sampled “No Seatbelt Song.” There is just something about Lil Peep that is special. One of the originators of a genre I guess referred to as emo rap, though he’s the only artist I’ve ever listened to in the genre. May he rest in peace. “I’m making music to cry to.”
Cold “Happens All The Time” - Revisited this band a bunch when they toured again and I went to go see them do an acoustic show at City Winery. A really good band that lived in the Staind world, and had some ups and downs. During one of their tours they played The Fire in Northern Liberties (before it was Northern Liberties). I went to see them and because I was with the radio station, they invited me on to their tour bus where they were watching a Bum Fights VHS. That’s all I remember.
Metallica “One” - I got back on a kick of listening to this song after I finally watched the movie Johnny Got His Gun, which the video for the song used clips of. What a disturbing movie.
Yungblud “Idols Pt. 1” - Honestly not one of my favorites from the album.
Joan “Heartbodymindsoul” - Honestly not one of my favorites from the album.
Yungblud “Changes f/Nuno Bettncourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman)” - This is one of the best live performances that has ever been captured on tape. He performed it at Ozzy’s final concert, and somehow stuck out among some of the greatest bands in metal history. If the audio doesn’t convey how amazing it is, just watch the video and how he won the crowd over. Really an all-timer.
Taproot “Favourite Song” - I will always love my nu-metal bands. I had some favorites that everyone had (like Godsmack), but also had some favorites who were less massive, like Taproot. I think Blue Sky Research was one of the great albums of the genre. They’ve had a brief and minor resurgence, but I thought they represented themselves well with this one.
Rage Against The Machine “Calm Like A Bomb” - If a rock band can have three straight awesome albums, they’ve got a guaranteed spot in music history (in my opinion). Rage certainly has three straight with Self Titled, Evil Empire and my favorite of the three, Battle Of Los Angeles. Tell me this song doesn’t make you want to run through a wall.
Rage Against The Machine “Born Of A Broken Man” - Probably my favorite Rage song, I love that it’s so personal. Rage has a ton of songs with some sort of political message (which is fine, not really why I listen), but to hear a song that seems so deeply personal like this one. “Born of a broken man, never a broken man.” Right on, brother.
Brand New “At The Bottom” - Daisy is Brand New’s Pinkerton, I think. It was misunderstood and underrated, but then became slightly overrated. However, it was Daisy that I really heard that Brand New, at their heart was not Taking Back Sunday, they were Nirvana. There are some misses on Daisy but it was a pretty brave album and announced who Brand New would become.
Say Anything “Alive With The Glory Of Love” - … Is A Real Boy is a pop punk masterpiece. I got to see them for the first time in years a few months back, and was glad I got a good performance, as it seems like Max (the singer) can be sort of inconsistent in this way. I remember having this amazing argument with my Program Director Mike Stern at Q101 about this song. “Why is he singing a pop punk song about the holocaust? What does he know about the holocaust?” Mike said. I just thought it was a funny objection. Great song.
Alkaline Trio “Stupid Kid” - My favorite Alkaline Trio albums are Good Mourning, Crimson, Agony & Irony and This Addiction. From the earlier albums, I like specific songs, but not the entire albums. This one, from From Here To Infirmary, is just undeniable. They’re so good at writing songs I’m surprised they never got paid to do it for anyone else (that I know of).
Avenged Sevenfold “Critical Acclaim” - I was a real pain in the ass when I was a radio programmer. I would always get mad when the label picked what I perceived was the wrong single. When A7X was releasing their self-titled album, the first song to get released (as the cred metal single) was “Critical Acclaim,” so we played it at Q101. When they eventually released “Almost Easy,” I thought it wasn’t as good, so we just kept playing “Critical Acclaim.” It annoyed the record label, but we later found out did not annoy the singer M. Shadows, who visited the radio station on their tour just to tell us how cool it was that we were playing it. What a fucking monster this song is.
Brand New “Sowing Season (Yeah)” - One of the best songs from one of the greatest rock albums ever released.
The Front Bottoms “Twin Size Mattress” - Years ago, Brand New decided to do two shows where they would play two of their albums at each show. One was at the Paramount on Long Island at the other was a Starland Ballroom in Jersey. I was lucky enough to go to both, and opening for them in Jersey was a band I had never heard of called The Front Bottoms. Within 10 seconds I leaned over to my wife (then girlfriend) and said “I love this band.” This one from them I think captures everything that they are.
Against Me! “Because Of The Shame” - What an awesome album White Crosses is. Imagine if years before this I had told you that an Against Me! song would start with a piano and some “oh oh ohs.” Just an awesome, hooky, Springsteeny rock song. “With my name tattooed into your skin.”
Backstreet Boys “Incomplete” - Backstreet Boys are obviously an arena act again, playing the Sphere over and over again because it continues to sell out. It’s easy to forget that in the middle of their career they sort of fell out of favor. Their comeback album Never Gone was decently received, and this was the lead single. I think it’s as good as any BSB song. I did get to see them play the Factory as part of the promo tour for this album (thanks Joe Daddio) and later met a few of them at the Society Hill Sheraton, where I think I had the opportunity to go bowling with at least AJ and I passed it up because I wanted to go to bed.
Traveling Wilburys “Handle With Care” - Can you believe there was a band with Tom Betty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne? I feel like history documents this but no one really notices it. I’ve never gotten sick of this song and once every year or two listen to the album over and over again.
The National “Light Years” - I like this song but do not remember listening to it that much. I don’t have much introspection on it.
Skid Row “Slave To The Grind” - Title track of one of the best rock albums ever recorded. The time has probably passed for this band to ever properly reunite, which is a shame. I do respect how much the band members seem to hate Sebastian Back, as it would have almost certainly been a big payday. To be clear, I don’t hate Sebastian Bach at all, I just find it amusing they are sticking to their guns. In any case, this album is heavy and incredible. Our shitty cover band used to play this song and I’m sure we sucked at it.
Sabrina Carpenter “Vicious” - Sabrina Carpenter has some awesome songs. I love this one, though my favorite one is “Fast Times.”
Amos Lee “Dreamland” - The title track on Amos’ fantastic 2023 album, has one of the best hooks of his entire catalog. One of those songs that makes me wish I could sing.
Linkin Park “Waiting For The End” - In the running for one of my favorite Linkin Park songs of all time. It’s just so weird, but it still sounds like them. I wish I was a musician so I could explain what’s so weird about it. Showcases everyone, but not in a “your turn my turn” way.
The Fray “Still Got You” - This list might be the best advertisement in history for this album.
Wild Pink “ILYSM” - I hate saying bands are overrated or underrated, but Wild Pink is certainly underrated. I never saw this song coming from them, that almost channels Pink Floyd in a way. They make beautiful songs and this is one of them, but it stands out because it’s sort of peculiar in a great way.
TortureTwinn “Red Light” - One of my favorite discoveries of 25/26 is TortureTwinn, a project from a gentleman named Andrew Devin, who has the story goes quit his normal job and decided to make the musician thing work. I saw one of his Instagram videos reposted by Laura Jane Grace, and decided to check out his music. It’s sort of like a Springsteen meets Depeche Mode thing, with whispers of hair bands in there as well.
Amos Lee “Worry No More” - Just another one of the outstanding hooks and hopeful tunes from Dreamland.
Lana Del Rey “West Coast” - Lana Del Rey writes music for David Lynch movies that haven’t been released yet.
George Michael “Freedom 90” - Is there a better couple of pop albums from an artist than Faith and Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1? I do think the great songs on this album have aged in amazing way. The production holds up, the songwriting the same, and there’s just a little bit of everything in there. There’s pop, R&B, rock and everything else in there. This song is magic.
Brand New “Jesus Christ” - This is one of those songs that as soon as the notes from the guitar start at the concert, everyone goes crazy. I can’t really explain what it is I love about this album, just that I do.
The Verve Pipe “Colorful” - Amazing that it’s on the list. I do love the song, though I don’t think much about it. The time I discovered it is it is featured at the end of Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg, after he’s done being famous and performing this in a quiet coffee shop or something.
Dean Lewis “In A Perfect World f/Julia Michaels” - I don’t remember how I came across this song, maybe because I am a Julia Michaels superfan. It almost sounds like she’s doing a song with the male version of herself.
Butch Walker “6 Ft Middle Age American Man” - I dunno, the lyrics are kind of cringey and a little much but the song itself is a good one.
Pharrell Williams, 21 Savage, Tyler The Creator “Cash In Cash Out” - Someone must have told me to listen to this song because I’d never find it on my own. But I still love listening to it. I forgot about it and then this list popped up and I rediscovered it.
The Japanese House “Sharing Beds” - Never heard of this song. Seems like a psy-op to put it on the list.