I mean I'd probably have it #1 in a redo, but four out of the other five (and Cage at #7) are right at the same level of quality for me. It was a stacked year bro, though I didn't fully appreciate it at the time being so busy with 'membering things from my growing years. Maybe I should revist some of the more original moviefilms of that year too...

Top ten begins next update! Lots of good stuff still to go. Two former FF #1s (the last two in fact), along with another billboard #1 and six whole artists who have never placed on a FlaFif at all.

And we are back! Happy XMas to everyone. X Gon Give It To Ya!

"Blank faces all around me, faded, I can't get out of deep end, jaded"



10. Feel A Thing by Meet Me @ The Altar

-If we were ranking music videos this would be #1. It's very obviously inspired by one of the all time best Christmas movies - Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Anyways, MMTA rode the waves of pop-punk revival to some decent success this year. Exposure wise at least, as these all girl, all queer, multi-ethnic power-popppers found their way into the same conversations with Olivia Rodrigo and Avril Lavigne. It was just the hot thing to write about this year. The song Garden is also more than worth checking out if any of this sounds like a good time.

"Cause they don't know about the night in the hotel, they weren't riding in the car when we fell"



9. The Very First Night by Taylor Swift

-After releasing two brand new albums in 2020 (winning the grammy, and more importantly the Flava'd), Taylor undertook a new project to rerecord all her old material ... Mostly just to spite the person who currently owns the masters. It's kind of a Kanye move if we're being honest, but so far it has been a huge success. Not only did we get to relive our favorite songs from 2008 and 2012, but each album basically doubled in length thanks to songs "from the vault" that missed the original cut. All in all, since I had only heard a small number of these before, I ended getting 23.5 songs new-to-me songs from Taylor across Fearless, Red and two bonus tracks from Evermore. And since I can't find any record of The Very First Night being released before, it wins that battle. I can see why it was cut, Starlight covers much of the same territory, but it's a classic Taylor song featuring an unforgettable hook and beautiful words in between.

"I am what I am and I'm good at it, and if you don't me well that isn't fucking relevant"



8. Smile by Wolf Alice

-Wolf Alice have been a band on the bubble for me. I really enjoyed their breakout song, Moaning Lisa Smile, but don't remember anything off the rest of that album. I foolishly skipped their 2017 effort, which was much better, and thus even though they've been around for awhile, this is the wolf's first appearance on the FlaFif. Smile is not a very accurate representation of what they normally do, but it is just so badass and cool. I really wish I could have seen them play it live. Might have even landed higher on the list!

"And if it makes you feel alive, well, then I'm happy I provide"



7. Blackout by Turnstile

-Pretty much any song off 2021's breakthrough artist of the year, Turnstile, could have ended up here in the top ten. These hardcore-punkers just tore it up all year round and their awesomeness was even picked up on by mainstream critics, something that hasn't happened in rock music for quite awhile. I ended up going with Blackout here because it was the song that converted me from a casual Turnstile fan to a full on Stiler (we can find a better name for the fanbase later.) This and Don't Play, the song that came after, blew my mind on the first listen of this album. Also, I just so happen to have a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell! Gosh, I hope Turnstile age as well as that joke.

"I held the power of a dying sun, I climb the altar and I claim my place as God!"



6. Circle With Me by Spiritbox

-I told you Courtney LaPlante would make another appearance! While Turnstile may be the breakthrough band of the year, Court definitely wins the title of breakout vocalist. Her screaming is just aces, better featured on heavier songs like Holy Roller, Yellowjakcket and Hurt You. CWM shows multiple sides of the band though. There's not much screaming, but those fours lines hit hard. The main guitar riff is awesome. The lyrics are hauntingly beautiful. The atmosphere is fantastical. And that breakdown makes us all fell dangerous.

Almost there now! A bunch of heavy hitters just went off the board, so what could possibly be left? Only one way to find out!

Back again after yesterday's update was postponed.

A few things first:

1) Encanto's soundtrack is great. One of those might have made the top 50 if I had seen it in theaters instead of waiting for the D+ release.

2) Relistened to the Alabama Shakes album and it still slaps. Turns out 2015 really was a super elite year, alongside 2010 and 2013 as the best of the decade.

And I guess that's all we have to catch up on. Songs 5-3 up next!

"Did you want a ribbon? cause I'm gonna need to hear more than that"



5. Good Girls (Don't Get Used) by Beach Bunny

-The provider of last year's #1 song gets another impressive placing in the year of 2021. Lili just keeps improving as a songwriter, evolving from the 'broken-hearted sad girl' of the past into someone more confident in themselves. Proof of this? She begins Dream Boy by saying 'sometimes I see your ghost' and in this she says 'you're not a ghost, I'm not afraid of you!" I'm currently reading It and It kinda plays like the end of It's novel - It. Or Dune. Fear is the mind killer! Not really though, that's some scientologist bullshit. Lili knows better than that, and after savaging boys on the Blame Game EP, she's fallen in love again as evidenced by the very happy and cheerful late 2021 releases of Oxygen and Christmas Caller. Will she revert back to just being a sad girl when its over, the one who was never cut out for Prom Queen? I don't think so.

"But the Devil makes exceptions for All-American Psychos"



4. Hip To Be Scared by Ice Nine Kills

-Do you like Ice Nine Kills? Not really? Their early work was a bit too scene for me, but when The Silver Scream came out I think they really came into their own. Commercially and artistically. The whole album has a refined melodic sensibility that really makes it
A Cut Above The Rest

Hey Paul!

Sorry, I had to. Obviously this Huey Lewis laced interlude (your mileage may vary) is part of their adaptation of the moviefilm American Psycho, but it also kinda accurately describes my experience with them. I'm not totally what too scene means, but if it equals 'sounds like everyone else' then I agree. Yet when they took on the mantle of adapting classic horror stories everything shifted and I now count Ice Nine Kills as among my favorites. I'm not sure of anyone else who makes Cinemacore musica, but I am sure that no one does it like these fellas.

3. Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo

-Anytime I hear an amazing singer doing a boring R&B ballad I always wonder what it'd be like if they made music closer to what I like. Well, Olivia Rodrigo went ahead and did just that and I thank her for it. Liv ruled the music world this year. Don't believe the charts, those BTS #1s were all bullshit. Yet, one peak in that very same billboard would tell you that I was not sold on her right away. I just thought DL was the new Lose You To Love Me or Without Me, a song that blows up because a famous person broke up with another famous person. Then she went ahead and dropped this bomb on us. I know Travis Barker (and ... ugh ... MGK) rightfully get the most credit for bringing pop-punk music back into the mainstream, but Good 4 U cemented its status as an actual It sound. You can already see its influence in the success of Stay (which is good but not good enough for the top 50). This is a jam and the waves it made will hopefully carry over into the future.

Wow such great songs! Is it a suprise that none of these topped the chart? How could there possibly be two more after Good 4 U and Hip To Be Scared???? Well there is, deal with it.

I'd like to post them later today, but realistically it'll probably be tomorrow, with the top 25 albums list coming the next day to finish us off.

The last two are both well-established Flava'd Favorites who put out, in my opinion, the best material of their careers in 2021. It'll be a tough choice!

You can put We Don't Talk About Bruno on your 2022 list.

Or in 2042 for the live-action remake! I wonder what we will be calling the covid variants by that point? When we run out of greek letters do we move to greek gods?

"Yeah I got that Dionysus variant, docs say I should stay inside and drink wine for two weeks."

Anyways, it is hard to believe we are almost done with 2021. Last year's choice between Beach Bunny and BMTH was close cause I thought they were just about equal quality at the time. Made the right decision with BB for sure, though maybe I like Promises more than Dream Boy now. This year's choice was tough but for a different reason which I will get into shortly. As for now, enjoy #2, and then #1 right after!

"I feel lighter in the waistline, no hands around me, no spit in my teeth"



2. Girl Is A Gun by Halsey

-My favorite song from Halsey's excellent new album, produced by oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, has changed just about a million times. Would it be the post-birth empowerment anthem "I'm Not A Woman, I'm A God" , the hauntingly minimalism of "1121", the attitude of "Lillith" or perhaps the dynamite closer of "Ya,aburnee". Girl is a Gun kinda combines everything I like about all the other songs. And while on the surface it may seem out of place, being so much fun and upbeat, but lyrically I think Hal is in the same place as the rest of the album. She gets a few moments of peace at the beginning of the song, accompanied by only a drum track, before Reznor's beat kicks in and snaps her back into reality. Luckily our girl is more than capable of handling a little bit of realism. She's ready for anything.

Were you expecting Halsey to be #1? Most Vegas insiders were! While I do love her album so much, and it has a 50/50 chance of placing #1 on tomorrow's list, I think the song I picked is 1) Much more appropriate for the year (s) we've had and 2) Just plain awesome and deserving anyways. In fact, if it wasn't for my own rules of one song per artist, they would also have the #2 song ... and maybe the #3 song too... That's where the tough choice came in lol.

So give it up to all that came before, and then hopefully you'll enjoy the best of the best when I'm done with the write-up.

"I lost all of my power, there's nothing left to gain, it's the energy, energy, fading away from me"



1. Devastation by Beartooth

-Holy shit does this song hit hard. Normally Beartooth, and many other metalcore bands, will have a soft build up before bringing in the heavy. Devastation doesn't fuck around even for a second. We've all lost too much time already. The lyrics are so fucking depressing, but rock is all about dealing with your inner turmoil. While most people think the genre is only inpsired by anger, it is actually melancholy, and the anger is just a form of expression. A way of not only helping yourself, but bringing millions of others up with you.

Sonically, this might come off as not all that special for the first half. I mean love the main guitar riff and way the drums are used. But, even though the line is corny, when Caleb says "drop this shit" that's when things get real. The staple of rock n roll used to be the guitar solo, a way for the best players in the world to show off their skills. Nowadays though the solo has fallen out of favor, as I said before we don't have time to just sit around and vibe out like the hippies in the 60s did. Instead we get The Breakdown. A style of music that is meant to make you crash into whatever people are standing around you. The energy might be fading out of us, but people like Caleb Schomo give it back by just doing what they do best. That's why this is the #1 song of 2021. Devastation will reign, it is inevitable, but we're gonna get through it so long as we keep our heads moving.

"I'll end the same
Let time explain
I'm such a waste
You will feel my pain
Devastation Will Reign!"

Yay! Grats to Caleb for somehow increasing his own awesomeness. I don't have time for a full recap, so that'll come tomorrow along with the top 25 albums. See you then!

And its time for the best album of the year award. Follow any of my grammy posts and you'll know that I consider this to be the true top award of the music year. It's just more fun to do the long lists with songs.

Recap of last year

1. Evermore - Taylor Swift
2. Honeymoon - Beach Bunny
3. Post Human: Survival Horror - Bring Me The Horizon
4. Imploding The Mirage - The Killers
5. Dedicated Side B - Carly Rae Jepsen
6. RTJ4 - Run The Jewels
7. Ohms - Deftones
8. Melee - Dogleg
9. The Ghost Inside - The Ghost Inside
10. Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa
11. Sugaregg - Bully
12. Eternal Atake - Lil Uzi Vert
13. Soul - Jon Baptiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Finch
14. American Head - The Flaming Lips
15. How I'm Feeling Now - Charli XCX
16. Manic - Halsey
17. Afterburner - Dance Gavin Dance
18. Women in Music Part 3 - HAIM
19. I Disagree - Poppy
20. Fetch The Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple
21. Folklore - Taylor Swift
22. The Waterfall 2 - My Morning Jacket
23. Sawayama - Rina Sawayama
24. Moonchild - Niki
25. Positions - Ariana Grande
26. Every Bad - Porridge Radio
27. After Hours - The Weeknd
28. Industry Games - Chika
29. The Sun And Her Scorch - Dizzy
30. Resonate - Lettuce

And the award for album of the years goes to.....








Below by Beartooth

2. If I Can't Have Love I Want Power by Halsey
3. Glow On by Turnstile
4. Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream II by Ice Nine Kills
5. Eternal Blue by Spiritbox
6. Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice
7. Sometimes I Can Be Introvert by Little Simz
8. Screen Violence by Chvrches
9. King's Disease II by Nas
10. Pressure Machine by The Killers
11. Who Am I? by Pale Waves
12. The Shadow I Remember by Cloud Nothings
13. The Bitter Truth by Evanescence
14. Typhoons by Royal Blood
15. For Those Who Wish To Believe by Architects
16. Near Life Experience Part One by L Devine
17. Survivor's Guilt by KennyHoopla
18. Star-Crossed bt Kacey Musgraves
19. Paprika by Japanese Breakfast
20. Medcine At Midnight by Foo Fighters
21. Flux by Poppy
22. Niratias by Chevelle
23. Back Of My Mind by HER
24. Paranoia by Maggie Lindeman
25. Lustful Sacraments by Pertrubator
26. Encanto by Lin Manuel Miranda and Friends

Beartooth completes the sweep, the first since Metric did it in 2018. Pretty similar situation too, where they are a longtime favorite who elevated themselves even further up. Obviously "Devastation" was the overall #1 song, but the #2 song of the year was "The Past Is Dead" (also my most played) and quite frankly #3 was probably "Dominate." The Halsey album is so cool, a dream team up of Halsey and Nine Inch Nails, and actually has more good songs on it. But you just can't compete when Beartooth had already sculpted the mountain so high. #2 aint bad though. Then we have a run of new/breakthrough artists. Turnstile, if you include their old albums I hadn't yet heard, were my favorite new artist of the year. While I liked Ice Nine Kills last two records, they finally clicked into place for me this year and became one of my favorites. Spiritbox will be a staple of the metal scene for years to come and deservingly so. I always like years like this more since it not only provides terrific music in the moment, but inspires great hope for the future of music. The artists in the 8-14 range put out amazing records, but I think the list is more boring when its just "Artists That I Really Like Put Out An Album This Year" over and over again at the top. Also, had to add a bonus spot for Encanto to make up for snubbing it on the songs list!

Full song list, delayed but delivered...

1. Devastation - Beartooth
2. Girl Is A Gun - Halsey
3. Good 4 U - Olivia Rodrigo
4. Hip To Be Scared - Ice Nine Kills
5. Good Girls Dont Get Used - Beach Bunny
6. Circle With Me - Spiritbox
7. Blackout - Turnstile
8. Smile - Wolf Alice
9. The Very First Night - Taylor Swift
10. Feel A Thing - Meet Me @ The Altar
11. Broken Pieces Shine - Evanescence
12. She's My Religion - Pale Waves
13. Booker T - Bad Bunny
14. Two Worlds Apart - Little Simz
15. Scatterbrain - Conway The Machine
16. Up - Cardi B
17. Naked Alone - L Devine
18. Simple Times - Kacey Musgraves
19. Oxytocin - Billie Eilish
20. Asking For A Friend - Chvrches
21. Weapon - Against The Current
22. Oblivion - Royal Blood
23. Walking At A Downtown Pace - Parquet Courts
24. Rapstar - Polo G
25. Beautiful Way - You Me At Six
26. Big Cat Judgment Day - With Confidence
27. Self Destructor - Chevelle
28. Rare - Nas
29. Flux - Poppy
30. Slide Tackle - Japanese Breakfast
31. Knife Under My Pillow - Maggie Lindemann
32. Hollywood Sucks - KennyHoopla
33. Black Lungs - Architects
34. Future Starts Now - Kim Petras
35. Precious Metal Girl - Weezer
36. Heart On Fire - Eric Church
37. The Room It Was - Cloud Nothings
38. Ben Franklin - Snail Mail
39. In Another Life - Crown The Empire with Courtney LaPlante
40. Karma - Mod Sun
41. Jail - Kanye West with Jay-Z
42. Higher Power - Coldplay
43. Take Me Away - Ayron Jones
44. New Shapes - Charli XCX with Christine & the Queens and Caroline Polachik
45. Transparentsoul - Willow
46. Making A Fire - Foo Fighters
47. Kill The Ache - Currents
48. Bite Me - Avril Lavigne
49. Nothing To Say - New Found Glory
50. Heat Waves - Glass Animals

And lastly, Beartooth becomes a part of FlaFif history

Songs:

2021: Devastation - Beartooth
2020: Dream Boy - Beach Bunny
2019: Cruel Summer - Taylor Swift
2018: Now or Never Now - Metric
2017: Need To Feel Your Love - Sheer Mag
2016: Forget Me Now - Against the Current
2015: Dead Inside - Muse
2014: Oh My Darling Don't Cry - Run the Jewels
2013: Unbelievers - Vampire Weekend
2012: Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
2011: Get Away - Yuck
2010: Dance Yourself Clean - LCD Soundsystem
2009: Panic Switch - Silversun Pickups
2008: All Nightmare Long - Metallica
2007: Through the Fire and Flames - Dragonforce
2006: When You Were Young - The Killers
2005: Helena - My Chemical Romance
2004: Ch-Check It Out - Beastie Boys
2003: Faint - Linkin Park


Albums:

2021: Below - Beartooth
2020: Evermore - Taylor Swift
2019: Dedicated - Carly Rae Jepsen
2018: Art Of Doubt - Metric
2017: Need To Feel Your Love - Sheer Mag
2016: In Our Bones - Against The Current
2015: Chasing Yesterday - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
2014: 1989 - Taylor Swift
2013: Modern Vampires Of The City - Vampire Weekend
2012: Be The Void - Dr. Dog
2011: Something To Die For - The Sounds
2010: This Is Happening - LCD Soundsystem
2009: It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2008: Death Magnetic - Metallica
2007: Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
2006: The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
2005: Plans - Death Cab For Cutie
2004: To The 5 Boroughs - Beastie Boys
2003: Meteora - Linkin Park


And that's all folks! Thanks for tuning in and putting up with me once again. I know it was extra slow and featured even more unknown artists than usual this year. But, as I always say, if you found even one new song that you didn't like before then I have done my job. See ya next year, if the Sigma Variant doesn't get me first!

Missed BPS come in at #11. And yes, it's the perfect song to begin a big show with.

And 2003! What a year! Meteora, which you listed as your #1. And Fallen (Evanescence), their debut album, of course. Two of the greatest albums ever.

I have many other favorites from 2003 as well:

The Golden Age of Grotesque (Marilyn Manson) - His last great album, really.
Hotel Paper (Michelle Branch)
The Phantom Agony (Epica) - DEBUT!
Three Days Grace (Three Days Grace) -DEBUT!
The Diary of Alicia Keys (Alicia Keys)
This is Not a Test (Missy Elliot)

And there's a ton of other major albums that year, from Kelly Clarkson's debut album, Beyonce's solo debut, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, Norah Jones, Shania Twain, Madonna, Metallica, Outcast, Jay-Z, and probably many more.