KCMP TOP 89 OF 2010

KCMP is the current -- Minnesota Public Radio -- leaning rock a little more than the average AAA Public Radio Station.



1. Dog Days Are Over - Florence And The Machine
2. Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons
3. Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem
4. Wait So Long - Trampled By Turtles
5. The Cave - Mumford and Sons
6. Forget You - Cee Lo
7. White Blank Page - Mumford and Sons
8. Tighten Up - The Black Keys
9. January Wedding - The Avett Brothers
10. Dixon's Girl - Dessa
11. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
12. The High Road - Broken Bells
13. Ready To Start - Arcade Fire
14. Airplanes - Local Natives
15. Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
16. You'll Be Bright - Cloud Cult
17. When My Time Comes - Dawes
18. Freefallin' - Atmosphere
19. The Chaconne - Dessa
20. Conversation 16 - The National
21. Winter Winds - Mumford and Sons
22. Running With the Wolves - Cloud Cult
23. Tightrope feat. Big Boi - Janelle Monae
24. This Too Shall Pass - OK Go
25. Carries On - Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros
26. Howlin' For You - The Black Keys
27. The Ghost Inside - Broken Bells
28. Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
29. Rhinestone Eyes - Gorillaz
30. The Best Day - Atmosphere
31. Laredo - Band of Horses
32. O.N.E. - Yeasayer
33. Mouthful Of Diamonds - Phantogram
34. A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard - Jeremy Messersmith
35. Violet! - Jeremy Messersmith
36. Beg Steal Or Borrow - Ray LaMontagne and The Pariah Dogs
37. Basic Space - The XX
38. Cameras - Matt and Kim
39. I Can Change - LCD Soundsystem
40. Sinister Kid - The Black Keys
41. Down By The Water - The Decemberists
42. Not The Kid - Communist Daughter
43. From Above - Ben Folds and Nick Hornby
44. Cold War - Janelle Monae
45. Shutterbugg - Big Boi
46. Crown On The Ground - Sleigh Bells
47. That Western Skyline - Dawes
48. On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz
49. Spanish Pipedream - The Avett Brothers
50. Swim Until You Can't See Land - Frightened Rabbit
51. Horchata - Vampire Weekend
52. Congratulations - MGMT
53. Norway - Beach House
54. Written In Reverse - Spoon
55. VCR - The XX
56. City With No Children - Arcade Fire
57. Half Light II (No Celebration) - Arcade Fire
58. I Walked - Sufjan Stevens
59. Odessa - Caribou
60. Zebra - Beach House
61. You Must Be Out Of Your Mind - The Magnetic Fields
62. Boyfriend - Best Coast
63. Sick Of You - Cake
64. Audience - Cold War Kids
65. Dillinger Eyes - Jeremy Messersmith
66. The Only One - The Black Keys
67. Beat The Devil's Tattoo - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
68. Victory - Trampled by Turtles
69. Bang Pop - Free Energy
70. Organ Donor - Jeremy Messersmith
71. Tall Boy - Har Mar Superstar
72. Giving Up The Gun - Vampire Weekend
73. In Sleep - Lissie
74. Gaudy Side of Town - Gayngs
75. Cousins - Vampire Weekend
76. I Learned The Hard Way - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
77. Crash Years - The New Pornographers
78. Pow Pow - LCD Soundsystem
79. Sound of Sunshine - Michael Franti and Spearhead
80. XXXO - M.I.A.
81. Bang Bang Bang feat. Q-Tip and MNDR - Mark Ronson
82. Lasso - Phoenix
83. Lost In The World feat. Justin Vernon - Kanye West
84. Shadow People - Dr. Dog
85. White Knuckles - OK Go
86. Die By The Drop - The Dead Weather
87. Go Do - Jonsi
88. Radioactive - Kings Of Leon
89. Terrible Love - The National

KSJO Top 92 of 2010

For the first time...and probably the last time once the sale of the station goes through...Channel 923 does a yearend countdown

1 PHOENIX Lisztomania
2 NEON TREES Animal
3 TEMPER TRAP Sweet Disposition
4 DIRTY HEADS Lay Me Down f/Rome
5 BROKEN BELLS High Road
6 MUSE Resistance
7 PHOENIX 1901
8 MUSE Uprising
9 WEEZER (If You're Wondering If I Want You To)I Want You To
10 MUMFORD & SONS Little Lion Man
11 BLACK KEYS Tighten Up
12 SILVERSUN PICKUPS The Royal We
13 CAGE THE ELEPHANT In One Ear
14 KINGS OF LEON Radioactive
15 BRANDON FLOWERS Crossfire
16 COLD WAR KIDS Audience
17 CAGE THE ELEPHANT Back Against The Wall
18 MUSE Undisclosed Desires
19 KINGS OF LEON Crawl
20 30 SECONDS TO MARS Kings & Queens
21 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Cousins
22 FLORENCE + THE MACHINE Dog Days Are Over
23 ARCADE FIRE Ready To Start
24 PARAMORE Brick By Boring Brick
25 LINKIN PARK Waiting For The End
26 ANBERLIN Impossible
27 30 SECONDS TO MARS This Is War
28 METRIC Gold Guns Girls
29 CIVIL TWILIGHT Letters From The Sky
30 JIMMY EAT WORLD My Best Theory
31 STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Between The Lines
32 THE DEAD WEATHERDie By The Drop
33 PEARL JAM Just Breathe
34 JACK JOHNSON You And Your Heart
35 PEARL JAM The Fixer
36 AGAINST ME! I Was A Teenage Anarchist
37 TEMPER TRAP Fader
38 CAKE Sick Of You
39 LINKIN PARK The Catalyst
40 HOCKEY Song Away
41 PASSION PIT Little Secrets
42 FOO FIGHTERS Wheels
43 BIG PINK Dominos
44 FREE ENERGY Bang Pop
45 AFI Beautiful Thieves
46 GASLIGHT ANTHEM Boxer
47 OK GO This Too Shall Pass
48 MGMT Electric Feel
49 LIMOUSINES Internet Killed The Video Star
50 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Meet Me On The Equinox
51 SILVERSUN PICKUPS Substitution
52 THEM CROOKED VULTURES New Fang
53 MUMFORD & SONS The Cave
54 WEEZER Memories
55 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Giving Up The Gun
56 WEEZER I'm Your Daddy
57 JACK JOHNSON At Or With Me
58 MUSE Neutron Star Collision
59 30 SECONDS TO MARS Closer To The Edge
60 PARAMORE Ignorance
61 GREEN DAY East Jesus Nowhere
62 NEON TREES 1983
63 ATOMIC TOM Take Me Out
64 CRASH KINGS Mountain Man
65 HOLE Skinny Little Bitch
66 TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB Come Back Home
67 BUSH Afterlife
68 HEAVY How You Like Me Now?
69 STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Take A Load Off
70 JESSE MALIN/ST. MARKS SOCIAL Burning The Bowery
71 CEE LO GREEN F**k You (Forget You)
72 SLIGHTLY STOOPID 2:00 AM
73 FANFARLO Harold T. Wilkins
74 GASLIGHT ANTHEM American Slang
75 BAND OF HORSES Laredo
76 LINKIN PARK Burning In The Skies
77 NEW POLITICS Yeah Yeah Yeah
78 STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Cinnamon
79 PASSION PIT The Reeling
80 PARAMORE The Only Exception
81 CAGE THE ELEPHANT Ain't No Rest For The Wicked
82 DAN BLACK Symphonies
83 CAGE THE ELEPHANT Shake Me Down
84 GORILLAZ Stylo
85 MIDDLE CLASS RUT New Low
86 PEARL JAM Amongst The Waves
87 AMERICAN BANG Wild And Young
88 PORTUGAL THE MAN People Say
89 CRYSTAL CASTLES Not In Love
90 YOUNG THE GIANT My Body
91 EDWARD SHARPE + MAGNETIC ZEROS Home
92 ARCADE FIRE We Used To Wait

WTTS Top 50 of 2010

WTTS is a AAA station in Indianapolis. Not mind-blowing good, but compared to what passes for their alternative station it is heaven.

1. Avett Brothers “I & Love & You”
2. Pearl Jam “Just Breathe”
3. Ray Lamontagne “Beg Steal Or Borrow”
4. One Eskimo “Kandi”
5. Dave Matthews Band “You & Me”
6. Phoenix “1901”
7. Mumford & Sons “Little Lion Man”
8. Broken Bells “The High Road”
9. Train “Hey Soul Sister”
10. Michael Franti & Spearhead “The Sound Of Sunshine”
11. Jack Johnson “At Or With Me”
12. John Mayer “Half Of My Heart”
13. Avett Brothers “Head Full of Doubt”
14. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “I Should Have Known It”
15. Black Keys “Tighten Up”
16. Jack Johnson “You And Your Heart”
17. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes “Home”
18. Lifehouse “Halfway Gone”
19. David Gray “Fugitive”
20. Dave Matthews Band “Why I Am”
21. Foo Fighters “Wheels”
22. John Mayer “Heartbreak Warfare”
23. Sara Bareilles “King Of Anything”
24. Dirty Heads “Lay Me Down”
25. Norah Jones “Chasing Pirates”
26. Robert Plant “Angel Dance”
27. Train “If It’s Love”
28. Snow Patrol “Just Say Yes”
29. Ingrid Michaelson “Maybe”
30. John Mayer “Who Says”
31. Goo Goo Dolls “Home”
32. Sheryl Crow “Summer Day”
33. Alpha Rev “New Morning”
34. Greg Laswell “Take Everything”
35. Brandon Flowers “Crossfire”
36. Eric Clapton “Run Back To Your Side”
37. David Gray “A Moment Changes Everything”
38. Kings Of Leon “Radioactive”
39. David Gray “Stella The Artist”
40. Mat Kearney “All I Have”
41. Shawn Mullins “Light You Up”
42. Melissa Etheridge “Fearless Love”
43. Train “Save Me San Francisco”
44. NeedToBreathe “The Outsiders”
45. Guster “Do You Love Me”
46. Neon Trees “Animal”
47. John Butler Trio “One Way Road”
48. Norah Jones “It’s Gonna Be”
49. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “High In The Morning”
50. Dave Barnes “Little Lies”

WCYY Top 50 of 2010

Portland, Me's Commercial Alternative station is pretty much standard for the genre, with only the hilarious faux-hip hop tune "I'm Awesome" breaking up the monotomy.

1. DIRTYHEADS – LAY ME DOWN
2. RISE AGAINST – SAVIOR
3. MUSE – THE RESISTANCE
4. DISTURBED – ANOTHER WAY TO DIE
5. PHOENIX – 1901
6. CAGE THE ELEPHANT – IN ONE EAR
7. NEON TREES – ANIMAL
8. AVENGED SEVENFOLD - NIGHTMARE
9. SICK PUPPIES – ODD ONE
10. SPOSE – I’M AWESOME
11. BLACK KEYS – TIGHTEN UP
12. ALICE IN CHAINS – YOUR DECISION
13. ANBERLIN - IMPOSSIBLE
14. 30 SECONDS TO MARS – KINGS AND QUEENS
15. CAGE THE ELEPHANT – BACK AGAINST THE WALL
16. STONE SOUR – SAY YOU’LL HAUNT ME
17. SHINEDOWN – IF YOU ONLY KNEW
18. CRASH KINGS – MOUNTAIN MAN
19. THREE DAYS GRACE – THE GOOD LIFE
20. PHOENIX – LISZTOMANIA
21. BREAKING BENJAMIN – GIVE ME A SIGN
22. CHEVELLE – LETTER FROM A THIEF
23. KINGS OF LEON - RADIOACTIVE
24. SLIPKNOT – SNUFF
25. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE – YOUR BETRAYAL
26. SICK PUPPIES - MAYBE
27. 30 SECONDS TO MARS – THIS IS WAR
28. MUMFORD & SONS – LITTLE LION MAN
29. GODSMACK – LOVE, HATE, SEX, PAIN
30. STONE TEMPLE PILOTS – BETWEEN THE LINES
31. PEARL JAM – JUST BREATHE
32. FLYLEAF – AGAIN
33. SHINEDOWN – THE CROW & THE BUTTERFLY
34. JIMMY EAT WOLRD – MY BEST THEORY
35. MUSE – UNDICLOSED DESIRES
36. DEFTONES – DIAMOND EYES
37. LINKIN PARK – THE CATALYST
38. PARAMORE – BRICK BY BORING BRICK
39. BUSH - AFTERLIFE
40. AGAINST ME! – I WAS A TEENAGE ANRACHIST
41. SWITCHFOOT – THE SOUND
42. BRANDON FLOWERS – CROSSFIRE
43. METRIC – GOLD GUNS GIRLS
44. PAPA ROACH – KICK IN THE TEETH
45. TEMPER TRAP – SWEET DISPOSITION
46. LINKIN PARK – WAITING FOR THE END
47. CRASH KINGS – YOU GOT ME
48. HELL YEAH – HELL OF A TIME
49. CAKE – SICK OF YOU
50. VIOLENT SOHO – JESUS STOLE MY GIRLFRIEND

WDBM TOP 89 OF 2009

Here's a countdown from 2009 that I hadn't got around to recording yet. WDBM is the campus radio station of Michigan State.



1 fun. - All The Pretty Girls
2 Passion Pit - The Reeling
3 ApSci - Crazy Crazy Insane
4 Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move
5 Volcano Choir - Island, IS
6 Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
7 Phoenix - 1901
8 Passion Pit - Little Secrets
9 Animal Collective - My Girls
10 Matt & Kim - Daylight
11 St. Vincent - Actor Out Of Work
12 Portugal, the Man – People Say
13 Yacht - Psychic City
14 Dan Deacon - Woof Woof
15 Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother
16 Deastro - Spritle
17 fun. - At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)
18 Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
19 Matt & Kim - Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare
20 Andrew Bird - Oh No
21 Flight of the Conchords - Carol Brown
22 Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others
23 Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
24 of Montreal - Brush Brush Brush
25 Owl City - Fireflies
26 Thao With the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster
27 Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
28 Big Pink - Dominoes
29 Jemina Pearl f/ Iggy Pop - I Hate People
30 Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader
31 Islands - No You Don't
32 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
33 Foo Fighters - Wheels
34 Handsome Furs - I'm Confused
35 Trevor Hall f/ Matisyahu - Unity
36 Cotton Jones - Where You Stop For A Minute
37 Kings Of Convenience - Boat Behind
38 Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine
39 Moby - Pale Horses
40 Peter, Bjorn & John - Nothing To Worry About
41 Raveonettes - Last Dance
42 Spoon - Got Nuffin
43 Them Crooked Vultures - New Fang
44 Whitest Boy Alive - 1517
45 Yo La Tengo - Periodically Double Or Triple
46 Camera Obscura - French Navy
47 Chairlift - Bruises
48 Fanfarlo - Harold T. Wilkins
49 Metric - Help, I'm Alive
50 N.A.S.A. f/ Lykke Li & Santigold - Gifted
51 Silversun Pickups - Substitute
52 Wilco - One Wing
53 XX - Basic Space
54 Coconut Recods - Microphone
55 Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Everything With You
56 Pearl Jam - Just Breathe
57 Wilco f/ Feist - You & I
58 Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart
59 El Perro Del Mar - Change of Heart
60 Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
61 Simian Mobile Disco f/ Chris Keating - Audacity of Huge
62 Owl City - Hello Seattle
63 Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
64 Very Best f/ Ezra Koenig - Warm Heart of Africa
65 Death Cab For Cutie - Meet Me On The Equinox
66 Echo & The Bunnymen - Think I Need It Too
67 Hockey - Too Fake
68 Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
69 Vetiver - Everybody
70 Weezer - I Want You To
71 Why? - Against Me
72 Apples in Stereo - King Of Carrot Flowers pt. 3
73 Bishop Allen - Dimmer
74 La Roux - Bulletproof
75 Chuck Ragan - Rotterdam
76 Books f/ Jose Gonzalez - Cello Song
77 Liam Finn & Eliza Jane - Plane Crash
78 Max Tundra - Which Song [Passion Pit Remix]
79 Say Anything - Do Better
80 Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy
81 Jay Reatard - It Ain't Gonna Save Me
82 Lily Allen - The Fear
83 Lissy Trullie - Just A Friend
84 NOFX - Creeping Out Sara
85 Paramore - Use Somebody
86 Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio
87 Taken By Trees - My Boys
88 Dodos - Fables
89 Girls - Lust For Life

CFRB Top 96 of 2010

Yes, it's an active rock station -- but it's an active rock station that plays the Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire and Gaslight Anthem, which is more than I can say for say Chicago's Q101. On the other hand, check out what's number one!


1 Ozzy Osbourne--Let Me Hear You Scream
2 Kings Of Leon--Radioactive
3 Black Keys--Tighten Up
4 Pearl Jam--Amongst The Waves
5 Slash Feat. Andrew Stockdale--By The Sword
6 Soundgarden--Black Rain
7 Finger Eleven--Living In A Dream
8 Alice In Chains--Your Decision
9 Three Days Grace--The Good Life
10 Dirty Heads Feat. Rome--Lay Me Down
11 Danko Jones--Full Of Regret
12 Stone Temple Pilots--Between The Lines
13 Them Crooked Vultures--Mind Eraser, No Chaser
14 The Arcade Fire--Ready To Start
15 Foo Fighters--Word Forward
16 Against Me!--I Was A Teenage Anarchist
17 Metric--Gimmie Sympathy
18 Linkin Park--The Catalyst
19 Bleeker Ridge--Small Town Dead
20 Our Lady Peace--All You Did Was Save My Life
21 Jimmy Eat World--My Best Theory
22 Cage The Elephant--Shake Me Down
23 alexisonfire--The Northern
24 Cake--Sick Of You
25 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers--I Should Have Known It
26 Billy Talent--Devil On My Shoulder
27 Crash Kings--Mountain Man
28 Alice In Chains--Lesson Learned
29 The Gaslight Anthem--American Slang
30 Three Days Grace--World So Cold
31 Slash Feat. Myles Kennedy--Back From Cali
32 Social Distortion--Machine Gun Blues
33 Crash Karma--Awake
34 My Darkest Days--Porn Star Dancing
35 30 Seconds To Mars--Kings And Queens
36 Airbourne--Blonde Bad And Beautiful
37 Nickelback--Burn It To The Ground
38 Cypress Hill--Rise Up
39 Violent Soho--Jesus Stole My Girlfriend
40 Ozzy Osbourne--Life Won't Wait
41 The Dead Weather--Die By The Drop
42 Papa Roach--Kick In The Teeth
43 Jack Johnson--You And Your Heart
44 alexisonfire--The Dead Heart
45 Gord Downie & The Country Of Miracles--The East Wind
46 Billy Talent--Saint Veronika
47 Bush--Afterlife
48 Metric--Gold Guns Girls
49 Bedouin Soundclash--Mountain Top
50 Danko Jones--Active Volcanoes
51 Mumford & Sons--Little Lion Man
52 Cage The Elephant--Back Against The Wall
53 Slipknot--Snuff
54 The Trews--Highway Of Heroes
55 Hail The Villian--Take Back The Fear
56 Bobnoxious--Long Night
57 Stone Sour--Say You'll Haunt Me
58 Airbourne--No Way But The Hard Way
59 Thornely--Man Overboard
60 Our Lady Peace--Dreamland
61 Hole--Skinny Little Bitch
62 Arkells--John Lennon
63 Baptized In Blood--Dirty's Back
64 Default--Turn It On
65 Disturbed--Another Way To Die
66 Crash Karma--Fight
67 Billy Talent--Diamond On A Landmine
68 Black Mountain--Old Fangs
69 My Chemical Romance--Na Na Na
70 Godsmack--Cryin' Like A Bitch
71 Rise Against--Long Forgotten Sons
72 Metric--Stadium Love
73 Daniel Wesley--Drunk And Stoned
74 My Chemical Romance--Sing
75 alexisonfire--Midnight Regulations
76 Airbourne--Bottom Of The Well
77 Bad Religion--The Devil In Stiches
78 Tokyo Police Club--Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)
79 The Gaslight Anthem--Boxer
80 Broken Social Scene--Forced To Love
81 Apocalyptica Feat. Gavin Rossdale--End Of Me
82 Matthew Good--Last Parade
83 Taylor Hawkins & The Coattails Riders--Way Down
84 Mumford & Sons--The Cave
85 Hail The Villian--Runaway
86 Against Me!--White Crosses
87 Hot Hot Heat--Goddess On The Prairie
88 Coheed And Cambria--Here We Are The Juggernaut
89 Gord Downie & The Country Of Miracles--The Drowning Machine
90 Johnny Cash--Ain't No Grave
91 Jay Malinowski--Santa Monica
92 Saving Abel--The Sex Is Good
93 Vampire Weekend--Cousins
94 Broken Bells--The High Road
95 Skag Barons--The Better Things
96 Weezer--Memories

WERG Top 90 of 2010

WERG is the campus station of Gannon Univesity in Erie Pa. It plays a mix of alternative/AAA/active rock tunes and acts as the de facto alternative station for that city.

1. Mumford and Sons/Little Lion Man
2. The Kings of Leon/Radioactive
3. The Neon Trees/Animal
4. Train/Hey, Soul Sister
5. Phoenix/1901
6. The Black Keys/Tighten Up
7. Maroon 5/Misery
8. Brandon Flowers/Crossfire
9. Jimmy Eat World/My Best Theory
10. The Sick Puppies/Maybe
11. Owl City/Fireflies
12. Foo Fighters/Wheels
13. Broken Bells/The High Road
14. Muse/Undisclosed Desire
15. Temper Trap/Fader
16. Jack Johnson/At or With Me
17. John Mayer/Half of My Heart
18. Paramore/The Only Exception
19. The Elms/Back to Indiana
20. Alice in Chains/Your Decision
21. 30 Seconds to Mars/Kings and Queens
22. Band of Horses/Laredo
23. Vampire Weekend/Cousins
24. Keane/My Shadow
25. Snow Patrol/Just Say Yes
26. Arcade Fire/Ready To Start
27. The Broken Bells/The Ghost Inside
28. Linkin Park/The Catalyst
29. Phoenix/Lisztomania
30. The Scissor Sisters/Fire with Fire
31. Finger Eleven/Living in a Dream
32. Three Days Grace/World So Cold
33. Stone Sour/Say You’ll Haunt Me
34. Anberlin/Impossible
35. The Dave Matthews Band/You and Me
36. Panic at the Disco/New Perspective
37. Muse/Resistance
38. The Gorillaz/Rhinestone Eyes
39. The Crash Kings/You Got Me
40. Owl City/Vanilla Twilight
41. Civil Twilight/Letters from the Sky
42. The Dirty Heads/Stand Tall
43. Empire of the Sun/Walking on a Dream
44. Green Day/Last of the American Girls
45. Metric/Eclipse
46. Blue October/Should Be Loved
47. Vampire Weekend/Giving Up the Gun
48. Jack Johnson/You and Your Heart
49. Spoon/Written in Reverse
50. Against Me/Teenage Anarchist
51. Kings of Leon/Crawl
52. Flyleaf/Missing
53. Michael Franti & Spearhead/The Sound of Sunshine
54. Train/If It’s Love
55. Guster/Do You Love Me
56. Cage the Elephant/In One Ear
57. Breaking Benjamin/Lights Out
58. Alice in Chains/Lessons Learned
59. 30 Seconds to Mars/Closer to the Edge
60. Tegan & Sara/Northshore
61. Passion Pit/Little Secrets
62. Paramore/Brick by Boring Brick
63. Temper Trap/Sweet Disposition
64. Empire of the Sun/We Are the People
65. M.G.M.T/It’s Working
66. Alpha Rev/New Morning
67. Paramore/Careful
68. The Gorillaz/Stylo
69. The Dirty Heads/Lay Me Down
70. The Foo Fighters/Word for Word
71. Breaking Benjamin/Give Me a Sign
72. We the Kings/Heaven Can Wait
73. Chevelle/Letter from a Thief
74. The Crash Kings/Mountain Man
75. Metric/Gold, Girls, Guns
76. Train/Save Me, San Francisco
77. The Silversun Pickups/Substitution
78. The Cold War Kids/Audience
79. Tegan & Sara/Alligator Tears
80. The Bravery/Slow Poison
81. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes/Home
82. Mayday Parade/The Silence
83. Shinedown/If You Only Knew
84. Seawolf/O, Maria!
85. Switchfoot/The Sound
86. Keane/Stop for a Minute
87. Owl City/The Saltwater Room
88. Weezer/I’m Your Daddy
89. OK Go/This Too Shall Pass
90. Three Days Grace/The Good Life
,

First Countdown of 2010 -- WTMD

The AAA station for Towson College -- their listeners apparently have good taste

1. Tighten Up by the The Black Keys
2. Forget You by Cee-Lo Green
3. Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons
4. Paris (Ooh La La) by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
5. MoneyGrabber by Fitz and the Tantrums
6. Zorbing by Stornoway
7. Laredo by Band Of Horses
8. Slippin by Quadron
9. Beg, Steal & Borrow by Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs
10. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
11. Ready to Start by Arcade Fire
12. Rolling in the Deep by Adele
13. Witchcraft by Matt Costa
14. BloodBuzz Ohio by The National
15. Empire by Jukebox the Ghost
16. Father's Son by Fistful of Mercy
17. The Mystery Zone by Spoon
18. From Above by Ben Folds
19. How I Wonder by Victoria Vox
20. Breakin the Chains of Love by Fitz & the Tantrums
21. Giving up the Gun by Vampire Weekend
22. The High Road by Broken Bells
23. Shadow People by Dr. Dog
24. Zebra by Beach House
25. Airplanes by Local Natives
26. Don't Break the Needle by J Roddy Walston & the Business
27. Sprawl II by Arcade Fire
28. Sweetest Thing by JJ Grey & Mofro
29. Radioactive by Kings of Leon
30. Haul Me Up by Richard Thompson
31. She Needs Me by Fyfe Dangerfield
32. Head Full of Doubt by Avett Brothers
33. Blue Streak Mama by Frazey Ford
34. We Used To Wait by Arcade Fire
35. Tightrope by Janelle Monae
36. Dilly of Band Of Horses
37. Boyfriend by Best Coast
38. Crash Years by New Pornographers
39. Always by Junip
40. Modern Man by Arcade Fire
41. Hannah by Freelance Whales
42. Wake Up Everybody by John Legend and The Roots
43. Total Life Forever by Foals
44. Do You Love Me by Guster
45. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
46. In Sleep by Lissie
47. Hey Hey Hey by Michael Franti and Spearhead
48. Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap
49. Cousins by Vampire Weekend
50. Compared to What by John Legend and The Roots
51. The Ghost Inside by Broken Bells
52. When My Time Comes by Dawes
53. Colors by April Smith
54. Dance Yrself Clean by LCD Sound System
55. Angel Dance by Robert Plant
56. Hit 'em Up Style by The Carolina Chocolate Drops
57. Everlasting Light by The Black Keys
58. I Can Change by LCD Soundsystem
59. My Time by Minus the Bear
60. For the Summer by Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs
61. Let Him Go by The Meckatones
62. Norway by Beach House
63. Scissor Runner Jenny and Johnny
64. Amazing by One Eskimo
65. In the Sun by She and Him
66. One Day by Sharon Van Etten
67. Boy by Ra Ra Riot
68. Down by the Water by The Decembrists
69. Weekenders by The Hold Steady
70. Ambling Alp by Yeasayer
71. What's In it for? by Avi Buffalo
72. Howlin' For You by The Black Keys
73. If It Wasn't For Bad by Elton John & Leon Russell II
74. Madder Red by Yeasayer
75. On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz
76. Burn It Down by Los Lobos
77. Half A Mind by Jason Spooner
78. Brave Man's Death by J. Roddy Walston & the Business
79. Written In Reverse by Spoon
80. Next Girl by The Black Keys
81. American Slang by Gaslight Anthem
82. On the Road to Charlie Parker by Anders Osborne
83. One Day by Kings Go Forth
84. I Believe In You by Black Dub
85. You Wouldn't Have to Ask by Bad Books
86. Bad Things by Jace Everett
87. WTF? by Ok Go
88. Conversation Missed by Benny Marchant
89. Hollywood by Codeine Velvet Club

KTBZ Top 94 of 2009

One of the stations that inspired my 2009 search for the suckiest Clear Channel alternative stations. (The excreable WXEG won) Here's why

1. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
2. Contagious -- Trapt
3. Dirt Room -- Blue October
4. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
5. Jars -- Chevelle
6. Seasons -- Veer Union
7. Careless Whisper -- Seether
8. Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
9. Burn It To the Ground -- Nickelback
10. I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica
11. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies
12. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
13. You Better Pray -- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
14. Decode -- Paramore
15. Second Chance -- Shinedown
16. New Divide -- Linkin Park
17. Overcome -- Creed
18. Audience of One -- Rise Against
19. Bad Girlfriend -- Theory of a Deadman
20. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
21. By the Way -- Theory of a Deadman
22. Break -- Three Days Grace
23. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
24. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains
25. Indestructable -- Disturbed
26. Say It -- Blue October
27. Lifeline -- Papa Roach
28. Lollipop -- Framing Hanley
29. Drowning (Face Down) -- Saving Abel
30. Notion -- Kings of Leon
31. This Is It -- Staind
32. You're Gonns Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
33. Troublemaker -- Weezer
34. Beautiful -- 10 Years
35. Savior -- Rise Against
36. Long Gone -- Chris Cornell
37. Hollywood Whore -- Papa Roach
38. Hate My Life -- Theory of a Deadman
39. Medicate -- AFI
40. Black Heart Inertia -- Incubus
41. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
42. If You Only Knew -- Shinedown
43. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
44. All I Want -- Staind
45. Believe -- Staind
46. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
47. I Almost Told You That I Loved You -- Papa Roach
48. Breaking -- Anberlin
49. Half-Truism -- The Offspring
50. Again -- Flyleaf
51. Uprising -- Muse
52. Back Agaisnt the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
53. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
54. Bonfire -- Third Eye Blind
55. Last Man Standing -- People In Planes
56. Something In Your Mouth -- Nickelback
57. Shakin' Hands -- Nickelback
58. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
59. Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
60. So Close So Far -- Hoobastank
61. Ignorance -- Paramore
62. Hey You -- 311
63. Cyanide -- Metallica
64. On My Way -- Billy Boy on Poison
65. She's A Genius -- Jet
66. Spaceship -- Puddle of Mudd
67. Mind Control -- Tamtric
68. East Jesus Nowhere -- Green Day
69. Brother -- Pearl Jam
70. Welcome All Again -- Collective Soul
71. Hear Me Now -- Framing Hanley
72. Champagne -- Cavo
73. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
74. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
75. Song I Hate -- Toadies
76. 21 Guns -- Green Day
77. Without You -- Hinder
78. Crawl Back In -- Dead By Sunrise
79. All You Did Was Save My Life -- Our Lady Peace
80. Whiskey Hangover -- Godsmack
81. Blood On My Hands -- The Used
82. Armageddon -- Marilyn Manson
83. It's Alright -- 311
84. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
85. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
86. 1901 -- Phoenix
87. One Day -- Matishyahu
88. Should Be Loved -- Blue October
89. 100 Little Curses -- Street Sweeper Social Club
90. Desolation Row -- My Chemical Romance
91. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
92. Get On Your Boots -- U2
93. In Looking View -- Alice in Chains
94. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups

Essential 11 for November

Here we are with 11 of the newest coolest songs you should be demanding your radio station play -- well 9 of these are new. Two of them are actually a year old and are just now getting the airplay they deserve

1) Down By the Water -- The Decembrists with Guests Gillian Welch and Peter Buck who contriubutes his own Byrds like guitar work.
2) Money Grabber -- Fitz and the Tantrums No, not punk rock. This is yet another neo-soul band, a genre that I am usually not impressed with -- Nostalgia is a trap best avoided. And yet -- a little songcraft, a good beat and lyric goes a long way and this one's got it all.
3) 1983 -- Neon Trees Speaking of nostalgia, this band evokes a cotton candy version of the Cure. I mean that in a good way. I happened to prefer The Cure when they did the pop as opposed to crafting their doomy masterpieces.
4) Holiday -- Vampire Weekend This one isn't making much of an impact, but I love the video -- 17th Century fops carousing and beating up surfer dudes.
5) People Say -- Portugal the Man This is certainly their most accessible music, but listen closely to the lyrics if you think this band has gone soft. For some reason it's catching on after a year's hibernation.
6) New Low -- Middle Class Rut Another two man band. This was a regional hit last year -- big on the West Coast-- that's getting a new life now that they've released their debut album.
7) Paris (Ooh La La) -- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals The best song off a really disappointing album from a really awesome live band. I'm still waiting for the magic to be transferred onto CD. This lot little rocker is the exception.
8) Faith -- Alejandro Escevedo A really blistering number from his new album
9) Back Down South -- Kings of Leon The second single is as close to a ballad they get -- reflective, wistful and warm.
10) Machine Gun Blues -- Social Distortion More of the same for these veteran punkers. More is what we need given the recent shortage of punkers.
11) We Used to Wait -- Arcade Fire This haunting number is slowly catching on -- WRNR, CJZN and now WFNX have picked up on it, Built on a single minor key piano chord repeated over and over.

enjoy it while you can

WSJO (Channel 92.3) in San Jose was just sold to Principle Broadcasting and the word is out that there's a format switch in the offing. Too bad. This means that Clear Channel only has one listenable Alternative station and the Bay area has none (KITS having narrowed its playlist down to total irrelevance) So give it a listen while you can. http://www.channel925.com//home

Essential 11 -- October 2010

I've been passing on quite a few big names for this list Weezer (I actually prefer Rivers Cuomo's collaberation with BOB). Soundgarden (can't get too excited about a reject from Badmotorfinger, back before they discovered how to write songs, even if it has a neat Zeppelineque flourish at the end) Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream is looking more and more like a fluke) Let's see what's really worth listening to this month....

1) Blue Blood Blues -- The Dead Weather Another blast from the ambassadors of the Deltas of Mars.
2) Sick Of You -- Cake This time their sound is taking on a fuller, almost R&B sound. They're sounding less and less like a novelty act and that's a good thing.
3) Fade Like A Shadow -- KT Tunstall She likes to think of this album as her electronica move -- think more late 80's Suzanne Vega and not LCD Soundsystem and you get the idea. Nice lyric about a relationship that doesn't quite measure up and while on the surface it sounds slick, the arragement has got an edge that sneaks up on you when you're not paying attention.
4. Precious Stone -- Peter Yorn. After a couple of listless albums and a collaboration with model-actress Scarlett Johannsen which succeeded mostly by not sucking as much as expected, Peter Yorn has found his edge again.
5. Dead American Writers -- Tired Pony An Americana supregroup imagine that. This band gets by on literacy and sheer integrity.
6. F#%k You -- Cee-Lo On first listen I was prepared to write this one off as an attempt to get by on shock value alone. Nillson tried somehting like this in the early 70's with "You're Breaking My Heart" On repeated listens I had to admit that Cee-Lo can write intricate cathy R&B and the voice of Gnarles Barkley sure can dance around a melody.
7. Heartbeat Song -- The Futureheads Ahh Singalong melody, guitars and a pumping punky beat. Never gets old does it?
8. Walk With Me -- Neil Young One man, an electric guitar, lots of feedback and Daniel Lanois. A jaw dropping performance and this is NEIL YOUNG we're talking about.
9. Radioactive -- Kigns of Leon Their songs usually take a while to work for me and this one was no exception. This band is not content to crank out "use Somebody -- Part II" and good for them. What hooks me into this one is how the guitarist plays in counterpoint against the rythmn of the drummer.
10. Anybody Out There -- Civil Twilight This is their U2 song, as opposed to "One of These Days" which was their Radiohead song. This is not a criticism. That was are really good Radiohead song and this is a really good U2 song and this talented band is plainly on the verge of transcending their influences.
11. White Knuckles -- OK Go An addictive funky tune. Love the video that features man's best friends in co-starring roles.

CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2009

With stalwarts like KITS and KNDD not putting out lists this year and KROQ shrrtening thier list down to 20, it's good to know that the leading Canadian Alt station, the only one that I can actually get on my radio, is still cranking them out. lots of songs this year that actually belong in 2008. Lots of local bands (most of them worth checking out)

1. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
2. Kids -- MGMT
3. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
4. Gimmme Sympathy -- Metric
5. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
6. Ulysses -- Franz Ferdinand
7. Rusted from the Rain -- Billy Talent
8. 21 Guns -- Green Day
9. You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
10. Check My Brain -- Alice In Chains
11. Love Is A First -- The Tragically Hip
12. Uprising -- Muse
13. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
14. Notion -- Kings of Leon
15. New Divide -- Linkin Park
16. Help! I'm Alive -- Metric
17. Savior -- Rise Against
18. Wannabe in L.A. -- Eagles of Death Metal
19. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage teh Elephant
20. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
21. Audience of One -- Rise Against
22. Sometime Around Midnight -- The Airborne Toxic Event
23. Laces Out -- USS
24. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
25. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
26. Oh, The Boss is Coming! -- The Arkells
27. Get On Your Boots -- U2
28. The '59 Sound -- Gaslight Anthem
29. 1901 -- Phoenix
30. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
31. Young Cardinals -- Alexis on Fire
32. Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
33. Medicate -- AFI
34. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
35. Break -- Three Days Grace
36. Brother -- Pearl Jam
37. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
38. Inside the Fire -- Disturbed
39. Alvie Again -- Champion
40. Meet Me On hte Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
41. Spaceman -- The Killers
42. Sick Muse -- Metric
43. East Jesus Nowhere -- Green Day
44. Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat -- Beck
45. Not So Pretty Now -- Nine Inch Nails
46. Magnificent -- U2
47. Ballad of Hugo Chavez -- The Arkells
48. She's A Genius -- Jet
49. Crawl Back In -- Dead By Sunrise
50. Last One to Die -- Rancid
51. Ghetto Love -- Spinerette
52. Bad Medicine -- Die Mannequin
53. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
54. Heads Will Roll -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
55. Fixed to Ruin -- Sam Roberts Band
56. Anything 'Cept the Truth -- Eagles of Death Metal
57. Hard Sun -- Eddie Vedder
58. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
59. Body of Years -- Mother Mother
60. Treat Me Like Your Mother -- The Dead Weather
61. I'm With You -- The Stills
62. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
63. Make Believe -- Thornley
64. A Looking In View -- Alice In Chains
65. These Are My Twisted Words -- Radiohead
66. Hell -- Tegan & Sara
67. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
68. Take It For Granted -- Ill Scarlet
69. Hero of War -- Rise Against
70. All You Did Was Save My Life -- Our Lady Peace
71. I'll Go Craxy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- U2
72. Supernatural Superserious --R.E.M.
73. Anti-Vemom -- USS
74. New Moon Rising -- Wolfmother
75. Devil On My Shoulder -- Billy Talent
76. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
77. Believe In Me -- Sloan
78. Re-ERducation (Though Labor) -- Rise Against
79. Bleed It Out -- Linkin Park
80. The Shock of the Lightning -- Oasis
81. Last Parade -- Matthew Good
82. Trooublemaker -- Weezer
83. Violet Hill -- Coldplay
84. Burning Bridges -- KOS
85. Hammerhead -- The Offspring
86. Pork and Beans -- Weezer
87. Your English Is Good -- Tokyo Police Club
88. Human -- The Killers
89. All Empires Fall -- Waking Eyes
90. I Will Possess Your Heart -- Death Cab for Cutie
91. Born and Raised -- Alexis on Fire
92. Lost! -- Coldplay
93. Pullin' Punches -- The Arkells
94. Your Decision -- Alice in Chains
95. Put the Phone Down -- Pilot Speed
96. I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica feat. Adam Gontier
97. The Girl -- City and Colour
98. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
99. My Love Eas There -- The Junction
100. Cath -- Death Cab for Cutie
101. Sick -- Bif Naked
102. Back Agisnt the Wall -- Cage the Elephant

KFMA top 50 of 2009+

KFMA is a hard rocking Alternative station out of Tuscon Ariz.

1. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
2. Jars -- Chevelle
3. Savior -- Rise Against
4. Uprising -- Muse
5. Help, I'm Alive -- Metric
6. Blood On My Hands -- The Used
7. Notion -- Kings of Leon
8. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies
9. Careless Whisper -- Seether
10. Ride to California -- Paper Tongues
11. New Divide -- Linkin Park
12. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
13. Death of Me -- Red
14. Break -- Three Days Grace
15. Medicate -- AFI
16. Black Heart Inertia - Incubus
17. Ignorance -- Paramore
18. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
19. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
20. Hey You -- 311
21. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains
22. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
23. Again -- Flyleaf
24. One Day -- Matishyahu
25. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
26. Young -- Hollywood Undead
27. Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
28. Desolation Row -- My Chemical Romance
29. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
30. 21 Guns -- Green Day
31. Fireflies -- Owl City
32. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
33. Whiskey Hangover -- Godsmack
34. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
35. Champagne -- Cavo
36. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
37. Lifeline -- Papa Roach
38. Crawl -- Kings of Leon
39. Snuff -- Slipknot
40. It's Alright -- 311
41. East Jesus Nowhere -- Green Day
42. Walk Away -- Five Finger Death Punch
43. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
44. Something -- Escape the Fate
45. Brother -- Pearl Jam
46. 100 Little Curses -- Street Sweeper Social Scene
47. Brick By Boring Brick -- Paramore
48. Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
49. Slow Poison -- The Bravery
50. Everybody Get Dangerous -- Weezer

KSLG Top 94 of 2009

KSLG is another one of those really cool small town stations.

1. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
2. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
3. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
4. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
5. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
6. Help I'm Alive -- Metric
7. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
8. Decode -- Paramore
9. 1 A.M. -- Slightly Stoopid
10. Human -- The Killers
11. Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
12. 21 Guns -- Green Day
13. 1901 -- Phoenix
14. The Rat -- Dead Confederate
15. Uprising -- Muse
16. New Divide -- Linkin Park
17. The Fear -- Lily Allen
18. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
19. Kristy Are You Doing OK -- The Offspring
20. Percussion Gun -- White Rabbit
21. Fireflies -- Owl City
22. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
23. Meet Me on the Equinox -- Death Cab For Cutie
24. She Loves Everybody -- Chester French
25. Get On Your Boots -- U2
26. Medicate -- AFI
27. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
28. Notion -- Kings of Leon
29. Heads Will Roll -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
30. The Rake's Song -- The Decembrists
31. Grapevine Fires -- Death Cab For Cutie
32. Kids -- MGMT
33. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains
34. Crying Lightning -- Arctic Monkeys
35. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
36. Ignorance -- Paramore
37. I Know What I Am -- Band of Skulls
38. Black Heart Inertia -- Incubus
39. Hang You From the Heavans -- The Dead Weather
40. Magnificent -- U2
41. Little Bribes -- Death Cab For Cutie
42. Youthless -- Beck
43. New Moon Rising -- Wolfmother
44. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
45. Cousins -- Vampire Weekend
46. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
47. Electric Feel -- MGMT
48. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
49. Bruises -- Chairlift
50. Ulysses -- Franz Ferdinand
51. I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica w/ Adam Gontier
52. Slow Poison -- The Bravery
53. The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived -- Weezer
54. That's Not My Name -- The Ting Tings
55. Stand Up -- Flobots
56. Spaceman -- The Killers
57. Lovers In Japan -- Coldplay
58. Treat Me Like Your Mother -- The Dead Weather
59. Brother -- Pearl Jam
60. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
61. Crawl -- Kings of Leon
62. Satellite Skin -- Modest Mouse
63. For What It's Worth -- Placebo
64. Too Many Rappers -- Beastie Boys feat. Naz
65. Written In Reverse -- Spoon
66. Audience -- Cold War Kids
67. Gold, Guns, Girls -- Metric
68. Sound the Alarm -- Thievery Corporation
69. Kingdom of Rust -- The Doves
70. She's A Genius -- Jet
71. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
72. Last One to Die -- Rancid
73. I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra
74. Geraldine -- Glasvegas
75. One Week of Danger -- Virgins
76. Pony -- Far
77. Drown in the Now -- Crystal Method feat. Matishyahu
78. You Never Know -- Wilco
79. Gold For Bread -- Blitzentrapper
80. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
81. Dirt Room -- Blue October
82. The Geeks Were Right -- The Faint
83. Hey You -- 311
84. Cheap and Cheerful -- The Kills
85. Ghost Town -- Shiny Toy Guns
86. Blood Bank -- Bon Iver
87. Say Hey (I Love You) -- Michael Franti & Spearhead
88. 11th Dimension -- Julian Casablancas
89. Sweet Disposition -- Temper Trap
90. Got Nuffin -- Spoon
91. Land of the Freak -- King Khan & The Shrines
92. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance -- Vampire Weekend
93. Games for Days -- Julient Plenti
94. Sacred Trickster -- Sonic Youth

The Arcade Fire Makeup Test

Since I checked out various stations to see if they were playing a band that could be truly called alternative, that nonetheless had proven it had got itself a sizeable audience, namely Arcade Fire with their #1 album The Suburbs. I called out quite a few alternative and AAA stations that apparently thought that this critically acclaimed band somehow didn't fut their format. Well a few stations since then did add Arcage Fire tracks to their playlist so to be fair to them, take these stations off the "naughty" list

KDGE Dallas Alternative
KEXX Phoenix Alterentive
KFMA Tuscon Alterantive
KFOG San Francisco AAA
KMTT Seattle AAA
KMYZ Tuscon Alternative
KQLZ Boise Alternative
WLUM Milwaukee Alternative
WRLT Nashville AAA
WXRV Boston AAA
WEHM East Hampton AAA
WWWX Oshkosh WI Alternative

WBZT Top 99 of 2009

WBZT an alternative station serving Northern Vermont, Northern New York and the Montreal area.

1. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
2. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
3. Second Chance -- Shinedown
4. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
5. Lifeline -- Papa Roach
6. Audience of One -- Rise Against
7. New Divide -- Linkin Park
8. I Dont's Care -- Apocalyptica feat. Adam Gontier
9. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
10. Indestructable -- Disturbed
11. Dirt Room -- Blue October
12. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
13. Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
14. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies
15. Uprising -- Muse
16. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
17. Jars -- Chevelle
18. Hey You -- 311
19. Notion -- Kings of Leon
20. Decode -- Paramore
21. The Night -- Disturbed
22. You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- Offspring
23. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
24. Breakdown -- Seether
25. Break -- Three Days Grace
26. Kids -- MGMT
27. Love Hurts -- Incubus
28. Savior -- Rise Against
29. Drowning (Face Down) -- Shinedown
30. Something In Your Mouth -- Nickelback
31. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
32. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
33. Champagne -- Cavo
34. All I Want -- Staind
35. This Is It -- Staind
36. Lollipop -- Framing Hanley
37. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
38. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains
39. If Only You Knew -- Shinedown
40. Last One to Die -- Rancid
41. (If You're Wondering if I Want You To)I Want You To -- Weezer
42. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
43. 2 A.M. -- Slightly Stoopid
44. Re-education Through Labor -- Rise Against
45. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
46. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
47. Whiskey Hangover -- Godsmack
48. 21 Guns -- Green Day
49. Again -- Flyleaf
50. Leave Out All the Rest -- Linkin Park
51. Half Truism -- The Offspring
52. Careless Whisper -- Seether
53. Black Heart Inertia -- Incubus
54. 18 Days -- Saving Abel
55. Medicate -- AFI
56. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
57. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
58. Seasons -- The Veer Union
59. Ignorance -- Paramore
60. Spaceman -- The Killers
61. Bad Girlfriend -- Theory of a Deadman
62. Believe -- Staind
63. She's A Genius -- Jet
64. Magnificent -- U2
65. East Jesus Nowhere -- Green Day
66. I Get Off -- Halestorm
67. Cyanide -- Metallica
68. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
69. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
70. Brother -- Pearl Jam
71. Dead Memories -- Slipknot
72. The Rat -- Dead Confederate
73. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
74. I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra
75. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
76. Ride to California -- Paper Tongues
77. Do What You Do -- Mudvayne
78. Crash -- Cavo
79. It's Alright -- 311
80. Get On Your Boots -- U2
81. Crawl Back In -- Dead By Sunrise
82. Over and Out -- Alkaline Trio
83. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
84. Slow Poison -- The Bravery
85. Breaking -- Anberlin
86. Snuff -- Slipknot
87. One Day -- Matishyahu
88. Troublemaker -- Weezer
89. A Looking In View -- Alice in Chains
90. Say It -- Blue October
91. Desolation Row -- My Chemical Romance
92. Sinner -- Big B
93. Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
94. Armageddeon -- Marilyn Manson
95. Spaceship -- Puddle of Mudd
96. 1901 -- Phoenix
97. Young -- Hollywood Undead
98. I Hate You -- Sick Puppies
99. 100 Little Curses -- Street Sweeper Social Club

WVBR's Top 93 of 2009

WVBR is a commercial rock station out of Ithaca, NY. By day it is a throwback to AOR radio, with some current active rock and alternative tracks thrown in. By night it goes Indie. As Ithaca is home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, so it is the type of hip small market where you can get away with genre cherry picking and idiosyncric song picks.

1. If You Only Knew -- Shinedown
2. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
3. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
4. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
5. 1901 -- Phoenix
6. Uprising -- Muse
7. I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica
8. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
9. 21 Guns -- Green Day
10. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
11. Drowning (Face Down) -- Saving Abel
12. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
13. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
14. It's Not You -- Halestorm
15. Break -- Three Days Grace
16. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- Offspring
17. Seasons -- Veer Union
18. New Divide -- Linkin Park
19. We Did Nothing Wrong -- Royal Bliss
20. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
21. Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
22. Black Heart Inertia -- Incubus
23. The Way You Are -- Classic Crime
24. Savior -- Rise Against
25. Life In Technicolor II -- Coldplay
26. Light for the Deadvines -- People in Planes
27. Audience of One -- Rise Against
28. Lifeline -- Papa Roach
29. For What It's Worth -- Placebo
30. I Get Off -- Halestorm
31. Back Agaisnt the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
32. Medicate -- AFI
33. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
34. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies
35. I Won't Tell You -- Lacuna Coil
36. Black Hearted Love -- PJ Harvey
37. 37 Stitches -- Drowning Pool
38. Rescue Me -- Buckcherry
39. Backseat -- Small Town Sleeper
40. Death of Me -- Red
41. Overcome -- Creed
42. By the Way -- Theory of a Deadman
43. Bonfire -- Third Eye Blind
44. Far From Over -- Rev Theory
45. Sometime After Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
46. Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
47. Check My Brain -- Alice In Chains
48. Closer -- Earshot
49. Blood On My Hands -- The Used
50. Breaking -- Anberlin
51. Conscience and Consequence -- Thornley
52. Wars -- Hurt
53. Contagious -- Trapt
54. Ignorance -- Paramore
55. Champagne -- Cavo
56. Low -- Point Defiance
57. I Ain't Hiding -- Black Crowes
58. Got Nuffin -- Spoon
59. Don't Ever Leave -- Smile Empty Soul
60. Hard to See -- Five Finger Death Punch
61. Mess of Me -- Switchfoot
62. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
63. Riptide -- Sick Puppies
64. 100 in a 65 -- Pop Evil
65. Say Please -- Monsters of Folk
66. Invincible -- Adelita's Way
67. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
68. Two Weeks -- All That Remains
69. Welcome All Again -- Collective Soul
70. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
71. Fold in Your Hands -- Passion Pit
72. New Moon Rising -- Wolfmother
73. Gives You Hell -- All Amercian Rejects
74. Therapy -- Craving Lucy
75. Crying Lightning -- Arctic Monkeys
76. One Wing -- Wilco
77. Ghost Town -- Shiny Toy Guns
78. What She Came For -- Franz Ferdinand
79. We Weren't Born to Follow -- Bon Jovi
80. Hey You -- 311
81. She'a A Genius -- Jet
82. Burn it to the Ground -- Nickelback
83. Supernova -- Ra
84. Forever -- Red
85. Youth of Yesterday-- Hinder
86. The Best Is Yet to Come
87. If -- House of Heroes
88. Young -- Hollywood Undead
89. I and Love and You -- Avett Brothers
90. This Is It -- Staind
91. Percussion Gun -- White Rabbits
92. Do What You Do -- Mudvayne
93. Whiskey Hangover -- Godsmack

Essential 11 for September 2010

Here's the picks for this month -- the jury's still out on the new Kings of Leon single

1. Boy -- Ra Ra Riot Lots of bassy action.
2. Haul Me Up -- Richard Thompson This song from his new live album is getting mostly public radio airplay and deserves more. This old man can really shred.
3. Beg, Steal or Borrow -- Ray LaMontagne Now I'm begining to see what the fuss about this guy was about. Ye olde country rock suits his songs very well and the pedal steel work by the Pariah Dogs take the instrument to places I've never heard before.
4. Tell 'em -- Sleigh Bells Humongous beats, squalling guitars and engelic voices. What's not like?
5. Giving It All Away -- Dead Confederate The band has been pidgeonholed into the grunge bin -- I don't quite buy it -- more like an 80's indie band covering Crazy Horse. But they know how to write a song and play their guitars.
6. Shameful Metaphors -- Chevelle One of hte more tradiontally structued songs from their consistenly excellent Sci Fi Crimes album
7. Mixtape -- Tifft Merritt Haunting song about unrequited love from a singer songwriter who deserves to be heard by more than her Public radio/Lost Highway fan base.
8. My Best Theory -- Jimmy Eat World Crafted for maximum airplay, but really with this band you don't mind because they have the knack for the big chorus
9. Lasso -- Phoenix More of the same -- not that I mind at all
10. Digging for Something -- Superchunk After several years of silence they show the kids how indie's done.
11. The Longest Highway Home -- The Reason Getting well deserved airplay on CFNY, just try not to sing along with this one.

The Arcade Fire Test

They had the #1 selling album in the country recently (much of it due to a $3.99 online sale, but still) They recently played two nights at Madison Square Garden. They landed a guest spot on the Daily Show. Their album is almost universally acclaimed and the first single is a catchy number that would have torn up the charts in a less teen-pop obsessed era. But "Ready to Start" is only number 20 on the alternative rock chart, number 18 on the Canadian rock chart and not even charting AAA. What is wrong with this picture? The answer is simple. Some stations while reporting themselves as alternative, obviously do not know the meaning of the word. We are not talking We Are Scientists! obscure here. There's really no excuse not to have this band in your rotation if you fancy yourself Alternative or Adult Alternative. So who is ready to start? Who isn't? It's simple pass/fail. If you're playing something off Ths Suburbs in your rotation you pass. If not then you're either a glorified active rock station or a hot adult contemporary station with delusions of glory.

Pass

CFNY Toronto Alternative
CHDI Edmonton Alternative
CHHR Vancouver BC AAA
CIDR Windsor/Detroit AAA
CILV Ottawa Alternative
CJZN Victoria BC Alternative
CKIC Winnepeg Alternative
CKLC Kingston ON Alternative
CKPK Vancouver AAA
KBZT San Diego Alternative
KFRR Fresno Alternative
KGSR Austin AAA
KINB Oklahoma City Alternative
KITS San Francisco Alternative
KNDD Seattle Alternative
KNRK Portland OR Alternative
KNXX Baton Rouge Alternative
KROQ Los Angeles Alternative
KROX Austin Alternative
KRXF Bend OR Alterntive
KRXP Colorado Springs
KRZQ Reno Alternative
KSJD San Jose Alternative
KSLG Eureka CA Alternative
KTGB Kansas City AAA
KXRK Salt Lake City Alternative
KXUL Monroe LA (College)
WAPS Akron AAA
WARQ Columbia SC Alternative
WBER Rochester NY Alternative
WBRU Providence Alternative
WCNR Charlottesville VA AAA
WDST Woodstock NY AAA
WEQX Manchester VT Alternative
WEXT Albany NY AAA
WFIV Knoxville AAA
WFNX Boston Alternative
WFPK Louisville AAA
WFUV New York AAA
WKRK Cleveland Alternative
WMMM Madision AAA
WNRN Charlottesville VA Alternative
WPNH Plymouth NH Alternative
WQKL Ann Arbor AAA
KRBZ Kansas City Alternative
WRFF Philadelphia Alternative
WRNR Annapolis AAA
WRSI Northhampton MA AAA
WRXP New York AAA
WRZX Indianapolis Alternative
WTGZ Auburn AL Alternative
WTMD Baltimore AAA
WUKY Lexington AAA
WWCD Columbus OH Alternative
WWWQ-2 Atlanta Alternative
WXPN Philadelphia AAA
WXPN-2 (Y-Rock) Alternative
WXRT Chicago AAA
WYEP Pittsburgh AAA
WYMS Milwaukee AAA
XETRA Tijuana/San Diego Alternative

Now it is my sad duty to report the fails

CIMX -- Windsor/Detroit "Alternative"
CJLX -- Belleville ON (A Canadian college station!)
KBCO -- Denver Adult "Alternative"
KCCQ -- Ames IA "Alternative"
KCXX -- Riverside/San Bernadino CA "Alternative"
KDAL -- Duluth MN Adult "Alternative"
KDGE -- Dallas "Alternative"
KEXX -- Phoenix AZ "Alternative"
KEZP -- Alexandria LA "Alternative"
KFMA -- Tuscon AZ "Alternative"
KFOG -- San Francisco Adult "Alternative"
KINK -- Portland OR Adult 'Alternative"
KLRR -- Bend OR Adult "Alternative"
KMSS -- Bozeman MT Adult "Alternative"
KMTT -- Seattle Adult "Alternative
KMYZ -- Tulsa (Has 4 oount 'em 4 new Avenged Sevenfold songs in their rotation It's as if they're rubbing it in)
KPNT -- St. Louis "Alternative"
KPRI -- San Diego Adult "Alternative"
KPTL -- Des Moines IA Adult "Alternative"
KRSH -- Santa Rosa CA Adult "Alternative"
KQLZ -- Boise "Alternative"
KROG -- Medford/Ashland OR "Alternative"
KTBZ -- Houston "Alternative"
KTCL -- Denver "Alternative"
KTCZ -- Minneapolis/St. Paul Adult "Alternative"
KTEG -- Santa Fe "Alternative"
KTHX -- Reno NV Adult "Alternative"
KVGS -- Las Vegas "Alternative"
WBOS -- Boston "Alternative"
WBZT -- Plattsburgh NY "Alternative"
WCLZ -- Portland Me Adult "Alternative"
WCYY -- Portland Me "Alternative"
WEHM -- Southampton NY Adult "Alternative"
WEND -- Charlotte "Alternative"
WEQX -- Erie PA (Another college "alternative" station!)
WGRD -- Grand Rapids MI "Alternative"
WKQX -- Chicago "Alternative"
WKZE -- Red Hook NY Adult "Alternative"
WKZQ -- Myrtle Beach SC "Alternative"
WLCE -- Springfield IL Adult "Alternative"
WLUM -- Milwaukee WI "Alternative"
WMRQ -- Waterbury CT "Alternative"
WMVY -- Nantucket MA Adult "Alternative"
WPBZ -- West Palm Beach "Alternative"
WRKN -- New Orleans "Alternative"
WRNX -- Amherst MA Adult "Alternative"
WROX -- Virginia Beach "Alternative"
WRLT -- Nashville Adult "Alternative"
WRRV -- Middletown NY "Alternative"
WRXL -- Richmond VA "Alternative"
WSUN -- Tampa/St. Petersburg "Alternative"
WTBZ -- Sarasota FL "Alternative"
WTFX -- Louisville (Now reporting as Alternative, not quite there yet)
WTTS -- Indianapolis Adult "Alternative"
WTYD -- Deltaville VA Adult "Alternative"
WTZR -- Johnson City TN "Alternative"
WWDC -- Washington D.C. "Alternative"
WWWX -- Oshkosh WI "Alternative"
WXDX -- Pittsburgh "Alternative"
WXRV -- Boston Adult "Alternative"
WXSR -- Tallahasee FL "Alternative"
WXXJ -- Jacksonville FL "Alternative"

Essential 11 August 2010

Guaranteed Eclispse Free for the Month of August!

1. Burn It Down -- Los Lobos Finally, a new album, Getting hard and heavy airplay on WXPN -- deserves a lot more
2. Month of May -- Arcade Fire Some public stations are playing this instead of/in addition to "The Suburbs" and "Ready to Start" -- they also played it live on hte Daily Show -- a real barnbuner -- trockabilly gone indy.
3. Solitary Gun -- Rogue Wave The second single from their new album is steadily growing on me.
4. The Ghost Inside -- Broken Bells Solid song with a meloncholy fatalistic theme
5. Fader -- Temper Trap Follow up to Sweet Disposition proves that Temper Trap is not just for the falsetto fans.
6. Next Girls -- Black Keys Making a big noise for a duo, check out the video featuring the return of the singing dinosaur and a massive girlfight.
7, Barricade -- Interpol Verse chorus verse structure? Heresy!!!!! Sellout!!!!!
8. Animal -- Neon Trees OK. I surrender. Can't resist the hooks, the 80's vibe even the uh ohs. So what if it's starting to get CHR airplay? Good music is good music
9. The Mystery Zone -- Spoon Not the most accessible of the songs on the new album, but the rewards are commiserate with the difficulty.
10. Dog Days Are Ove -- Florence and the Machine Sorta like a punkier younger cousin to Kate Bush
11. Weeenders -- The Hold Steady A ballad with great lyrics and guitar work. The Springsteen compariosns are beside the point.

RIP Andyman

I was driving through Ohio and turning on my fave alternative station CD101 Monday when I heard that their program director Andyman had drowned while on vacation. From everything I heard, he was a great guy and the musical heart and soul of CD101. Condolences to his friends and family.

KXRK Top 50 Songs of 2009

KXRK is an independently owned alternative station out of Salt Lake City Utah. Not a groundbreaking one but listenable, and is quite sucessful in its market. The list below really doesn't do the station justice, however. A top 100 would reflect some of the more interesting stuff they play.

1. Uprising -- Muse
2. Help, I'm Alive -- Metric
3. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
4. No, You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
5. Kids -- MGMT
6. Audience of One -- Rise Against
7. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
8. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
9. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
10. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
11. Ignorance -- Paramore
12. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
13. Medicate -- AFI
14. New Divide -- Linkin Park
15. Half Truism -- The Offspring
16. Fireflies -- Owl City
17. 21 Guns -- Green Day
18. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
19. Blood On My Hands -- The Used
20. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
21. She's A Genius -- Jet
22. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
23. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
24. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
25. Dirt Room -- Blue October
26. Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
27. Black Heart Inertia -- Incubus
28. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
29. Hey You -- 311
30. Lifeline -- Papa Roach
31. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
32. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
33. Chcek My Brain -- Alice In Chains
34. Savior -- Rise Against
35. Pen and Paper -- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
36. Brother -- Pearl Jam
37. Jars -- Chevelle
38. Maginificent -- U2
39. On My Way -- Billy Boy on Poison
40. Young -- Hollywood Undead
41. Wishing Well -- Airborne Toxic Event
42. Heartless -- The Fray
43. Girlfriends -- Single File
44. Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
45. Let's Go Crazy -- Incubus
46. 1901 -- Phoenix
47. Notion -- Kings of Leon
48. I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra
49. Careless Whisper -- Seether
50. Get On Your Boots -- U2

Esssential 11 for July

Funny. Everytime it's time to come up with 11 songs worth seeking out on the radio, I think I'll never be able to do it. Every month the list comes together rather easily. This list is a rather loud one so crank it up.

Bushwick Blues -- Delta Spirit Nothing fancy here. Just a tuneful hard rocking totally in love song like you thought nobody made anymore

Stop for a Minute -- Keane feat. K'nan Keane is always goof for a mopey English pop rock song and the ubiqutious Somali-Canadian singer-rapper adds some subtle spice.

The Sound (John M.Perkins Blues) -- Switchfoot John M. Perkins is a Christian civil rights activist in case you're wondering. Switchfoot is one butt kicking Christian rock band in case your're wondering. The message is "love is the final fight" in case you're wondering.

Ready to Start -- Arcade Fire This is the song that CFNY si playing instead of "The Suburbs" or "MOnth of May", probably because this is the closest they come to a rocker. It's all good. I mean it. With this band, ITS ALL GOOD.

Anchor -- Alejandro Escevedo A really catchy tune from his hardest rocking album yet, backed up by the Sensitive Boys, his incredibly talented backup band. If they come to your town -- GO SEE THEM.

Fixed -- Stars A la Metric, a Canadian band with a female singer with a heavy 80's influence. The lyrics as far as I can make them out -- are about staying steadfast in a relationship while eveyrhing's falling apart. This one grows on you.

You Got Me -- Crash Kings After "Mountain Man" you thought they couldn't pound the piano any harder. Well they can, and they did, and wrote some gloriously sleazy lyrics amd played some gloriously loud guitar to accompnay it.

Fresh -- Devo Having focus groups decide EVERYTHING that went into Devo's album and tour was a genius extension of the Devo concept. And God help us, it works. This is the tockinest and smartest stuff Deov has done since its debut.

Tripping Down the Freeway -- Weezer I know. It's not cool to like Weezer anyomore. I don't care. Anyone who dug "Buddy Holly" or "Surf Wax America" off the first album has no call to put this down as shallow. It's just Weezer being Weezer and this is irrestible. Disposable maybe, but irrestible.

Rules Don't Stop -- We Are Scientists Another cool 80's inspired Band, sorta like the Cure without the gloom and tesaed hair. No that's not quite it. Interpol without all the gloom and baritone. Nope that's not quite it,either. Very propulsive and tuneful. The kind of song you's wish the Killers would write more of.

The Boxer -- Gaslight Anthem The second single form their excellent new album. Just check out the guitar work doing a counter melody throughout the song rather than the usual solo wanking.

Whew!

When I read online that New York City's WRXP was dropping the Rock Experience branding tightening up the playlist in a "pure rock" direction . I nearly panicked as I pictured Black Sabbath Weekends and Godsmack supersets.

Apparently not on Program Director Leslie Fram's watch. So far the changes seem to be fine tuning rather than radical revamp. Here's a random hour:

Close to Me -- The Cure
Hemorrhage (In My Hands) -- Fuel
Owner of a Lonely Heart -- Yes
Today -- Smashing Pumpkins
American Slang -- The Gaslight Anthem
Bad Reputation -- Joan Jett
Learn to Fly -- Foo Fighters
In the End -- Linkin Park
Blue Monday -- New Order
Enter Sandman -- Metallica
What You Need -- INXS
Tighten Up -- The Black Keys
Ring of Fire -- Social Distortion

What they seem to have gotten rid of was the pre 1977 rock, which was tricky to mix in with the modern stuff. The problem with the station wasn't that no one was listening, it was that people didn't listen very long. The people who wanted to hear Against Me weren't the same as the ones who wanted to hear Jethro Tull. The station also seems to continue its transition from a particularly hip AAA station to a particularly hip Active Rock-Modern Rock hybrid.

Hope this works.

Essential 11 for June

Hello again. It's been awhile but I've got some posts that have been marinating for a while that I'll be getting to you. In the meantime here's a Canadian heavy essential 11 -- the songs your alternative/AAA station ought to be playing.

21 @ 12 -- Hot Hot Heat They're back and herkier-jerkier than ever. For some reason CFNY 9probably because it is faster & louder) is playing "Goddess of the Prarie", Can't wait to hear the rest of the album.

American Slang -- The Gaslight Anthem The boys from New Brunswick have streamlined and toughened their sound, but also have gotten more creative with their guitar work. WWCD is already playing the follow up "The Boxer" no, not the one who squndered his resistance with a pocket full of mumbles such are promises.

Junebug -- Robert Francis A really punchy rocker about a love lost, possibly to drugs crossing over from NPR AAA to your finer alternative stations everywhere.

I Should Have Known It -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Wow do they rock on this one, harder than they've had in a while. No chance this crosses over from AAA though. Shame. Yeah I'm a fan. So sue me.

Crash Years -- New Pornographers Just when I'm about to write this off as pleasant but dull the whistling chorus breaks in and hooks me for reasons I'm unable to fathom.

The Suburbs -- Arcade Fire Sounds jaunty, quite different from the heavy, apocalyptic Neon Bible. Then you read the lyrics -- still apocalytic after all these years. Check the single out on the website. You can actual use your mouse to play the single. Not the ideal way to listen to their music (the song kept slowing to a stop when the mouse slipped off hte disc) but still lots of fun.

Wait Up (Boots of Danger) -- Tokyo Police Club Indie faves from the Suburbs of Toronto. Not sure what the song means but damn it's catchy. Not getting a lot of airplay yet other than CFNY where it's a big hit.

Drunk Girls -- LCD Soundsystem Hilarious video that ends up with James Murphy (who is LCD Soundsystem) and two band members (I assume) getting duck taped together and pummled by rowdies in the world's worst dog costumes (at least I think they're dog costumes)

My Time -- Minus the Bear In which a crtics fave cult band makes its move from progressive indie to synth pop. They keep it interesting and challenging enough to ward off the inevitable sellout brickbats.

Amongst the Waves -- Pearl Jam Do I really have to sell you on Pearl Jam? Really?

Immigraniada (We Comin' Rougher) -- Gogol Bordello Punk, world music and folk poured into a blender with lyrics that leave no mistake on where they stand on the recent immigration backlash (agin it of course) all played with passion, anger and pure energy.

Y-Rock on XPN Listener Poll 2009

Y-Rock was the main alternative station in Philadelphia. Then it changed formats and the refugees went over to the internet and WXPN (which took over the XPN airwaves for a few hours per week. Then HD radio happened and Y-Rock became the HD-2 station for WXPN. Now that the commercial radio pressure's off it was free to develop into one of the coolest stations in the country.

1. 1901 -- Phoenix
2. Uprising -- Muse
3. Pamic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
4. My Girls -- Animal Collective
5. Daylight -- Matt & Kim
6. Two Weeks -- Grizzly Bear
7. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
8. Zeros -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To)-- Weezer
10. The Reeling -- Passion Pit
11. Mykonos -- Fleet Foxes
12. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
13. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
14. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
15. Help I'm Alive -- Metric
16. Lisztomania -- Phoenix
17. Slow Burning Crimes -- East Hundred
18. Silence Is the Move -- Dirty Projectors
19. The Rake's Song -- The Decembrists
20. Heads Will Roll The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
21. The Fear -- Lily Allen
22. Summertime Clothes -- Animal Collective
23. These Are My Twisted Words -- Radiohead
24. French Navy -- Camera Obscura
25. Little Secrets -- Passion Pit
26. Notion -- Kings of Leon
27. Spaceman -- The Killers
28. Life in Technicolor II -- Coldplay
29. Crying Lightning -- Arctic Monkeys
30. Nothing to Worry About -- Peter Bjorn & John
31. Say Please -- Monsters Of Folk
32. Grapevine Fires -- Death Cab for Cutie
33. Just Breahe -- Pearl Jam
34. 40 Day Dream -- Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros
35. Chystallized -- xxx
36. Daniel -- Bat for Lashes
37. 21 Guns -- Green Day
38. Laughing With -- Rewgina Spektor
39. I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked -- Ida Maria
40. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
41. Hell -- Tegan & Sara
42. The Great Defector -- Bell X1
43. You Never Know -- Wilco
44. Gimme Sympathy -- Metric
45. Treat Me Like Your Mother -- The Dead Weather
46. While You Wait for the Others -- Grizzly Bear
47. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
48. Never Had Nobody Like You -- M. Ward
49. Percussion Gun -- White Rabbits
50. Airstream Driver -- Gomez
51. Hurt Feelings -- Flight of the Conchords
52. Ulysses -- Franz Ferdinand
53. Dog Days Are Over -- Florence and the Machine
54. Can You Tell -- Ra Ra Riot
55. Cousins -- Vampire Weekend
56. Hang On -- Illinois
57. Satellite Skin -- Modest Mouse
58. Wilco (The Song) -- Wilco
59. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
60. Fresh Blood -- eels
61. Animal -- Miike Snow
62. Oh My God -- Ida Maria
63. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
64. Great Expectations -- The Gaslight Anthem
65. At the Bottom -- Brand New
66. Cornerstone -- Arctic Monkeys
67. DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake--Art Brut
68. Not Fair -- Lily Allen
69. Sweet Disposition -- The Temper Trap
70. Kingdom of Rust -- Doves
71. Sacred Trickster -- Sonic Youth
72. I Want to Know -- Dinosaur Jr.
73. Hearing Damage -- Thom Yorke
74. Magnificent -- U2
75. I Know What I Am -- Bamd of Skulls
76. Ambling Alf -- Yeasayer
77. Black Hearted Love -- P.J. Harvey & John Parish
78. Audience -- Cold War Kids
79. Wicked Blood -- Sea Wolf
80. 11th Dimension -- Julian Casablancas
81. Plus Minus -- East Hundred
82. 0...Saya -- M.I.A.
83. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris -- Morrisey
84. From the Hips -- Cursive
85. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) -- Florence & the Machine
86. Silver Trembling Hands -- Flaming Lips
87. Young Adult Friction -- The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
88. Nothing to Hide -- Yo Lo Tengo
89. Little Bribes -- Death Cab for Cutie
90. People Say -- Portugal the Man
91. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
92. Even Think -- Drink Up Buttercup
93. Never Forget You -- The Noisettes
94. Actor Out of Work -- St. Vincent
95. Dominos -- The Big Pink
96. Got Nuffin -- Spoon
97. Now We Can See -- The Thermals
98. Lessons Learned -- Matt & Kim
99. Last Dance -- The Raveonettes
100. Papillion -- The Editors

The Essential 11 for May 2010

The list that separates the CD 101s from the Q 101s.

1. Rise Up -- Cypress Hill
A little dose of Tom Morella was just what the doctor ordered to jump start these gansta potheads' careers.

2. I Was A Teenage Anarchist -- Against Me!
These Florida punkers certainly can write a good lyric. And they know how to mess with the punk formula, loud fast & messy just enough.

3. Stella the Artist -- David Gray
I'm coming a little late to this one. Never was impressed with "Babylon" -- sounded like warmed over Al Stewart to me. But this is the second straight song I've heard off this album that has impressed me.

4. Die by the Drop -- the Dead Weather
Of all of Jack White's bands this is the one that takes a little effort to get into. Allsion Mosshart is so over the top gothic dramatic that she makes Siouxsie Sioux sound like Norah Jones. But hey, this is a Jack White band, and this is probably the loudest song you'll be hearing on AAA radio this summer.

5. Hurricante J -- the Hold Steady
They seem to be slowly getting over their Springsteen fetish, which will only make this band stonger

6. Tighten Up -- The Black Keys
Their totally cool video stars Frank the singing Funkasaurus. The song could have easily been a 70's top 40 hit, only it's done by two guys.

7. Forced to Love -- Broken Social Scene
The Toronto based indie rock collective (which has in the past included Feist and Emily Hainse of Metric) has put out their strongest single yet. Tense and coiled but with a catchy chorus. This could actually make them catch on in the USA. Lord knows they deserve it.

8. Giving Up the Gun -- Vampire Weekend
As per usual for me with this band it took 3-4 listens for this song to kick in, but kick in it did. The African influences are more subtle than usual, but they make it propulsive and

9. O.N.E. -- Yeasayer
As someone who sat through countless hours of Howard Jones and Duran Duran waiting for WLIR to play the Ramones or thw Smithereens I'm not inclined to hail the return of synth rock as the wave of the future, but I'll admit that it's a welcome break from the endless minor key dirges of post-grunge that still dominate many so-called alternative stations. It helps when you use real percussion rather than syndrums, the bane of the
80's.

10. This F----- Job -- Drive By Truckers
Too southern sounding for alt rock stations, too classic sounding for active rock, too loud and unkempt for AAA, this band's critical acclaim is in inverse ratio to its airplay. This is the thinking person's Skynard and you ignore them at your peril.

11. The Open Road -- John Hiatt
Rocking hard for the first time in years and with gift for writing short stories with a beat, he deserves more airplay than he's getting.

Guess the format

Here are two stations within 200 miles of each other. Both are owned by Clear Channel. One reports as active rock and one reports as alternative/modern rock. Guess which is which

Station 1 most played songs

1. I Want You To -- Weezer
2. Again -- Flyleaf
3. Uprising -- Muse
4. 1901 -- Phoenix
5. Savior -- Rise Against
6. Letter from A Thief -- Chevelle
7. KIngs and Queens -- 20 Seconds from Mars
8. Between the Lines -- Stone Termple Pilots
9. Lay Me Down -- Dirty Heads & Rome
10. Mountain Man -- Crash Kings

Station 2 Most Played Songs

1. Snuff -- Slipknot
2. Jars -- Chevelle
3. Again -- Flyleaf
4. Savior -- Rise Against
5. The Good Life -- 3 Days Grace
6. Walk Away -- 5 Finger Death Punch
7. Monster -- Skillet
8. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
9. Odd One -- Sick Puppies
10. Invincible -- Adelita's Way

If you guessed that no. 1 was the active rock station and no. 2 was the alternative station, go to the head of the class. No. 1 is WTFX the Fox out of Louisville, KY.
The second is WXEG out of Dayton OH, an alleged alternative station.

I visit Louisville a lot because my sister and mom are living across the river. The Fox is a fairly good modern rock station, even if it doesn't want to call itself that, and I do have it in my presents whenever I visit Louisville (the first choice is WFPK, of course) OTOH when I'm in Dayton, I put in a CD.

The essential 11 -- April 2010

The tunes your stations should be playing instead of Train, 30 Seconds from Mars and Shinedown. I left the Chevelle song off of March's list because I figured it was active rock rather than alternative, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that I liked it a lot more than the new Gorillaz song, which I did include and good music is good music so I threw on some Deftones and Sick Puppies for good measure and so what if WFUV and WXPN wouldn't touch it even if the program manager was wearing a radiation suit. If your station is playing most of these tunes then it's a station worth listening to.

Jesus Stole My Girlfriend -- Violent Soho
Harold T. Wilkins -- Fanfarlo
Beat the Devil's Tattoo -- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Heaven Can Wait -- Charlotte Gainsbourg
White Flag Warrior -- Flobots
Swim Until You Can't See Land -- Frightened Rabbit
Letter From A Thief -- Chevelle
Diamond Eyes -- Deftones
Odd One -- Sick Puppies
Little Lion Man -- Mumford & Sons
One Way Road -- John Butler Trio

KRVO -- 103.1 The River's Top 103 of 2009

KRVO is a small station on Montana's ski country. Columbia Falls, Mt to be exact. As a small market station it does not have the luxury of narrowcasting, which makes this station's playlist less confined to its chosen format (almost always a good thing) and more prone to playing Top 40 (which is not always a bad thing). Interstingly, the further down you go on the list the more typically AAA the songs get. Anyway you can do a lot worse than this station -- especially in rural Montana

1. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
2. Uprising -- Muse
3. Fugitive -- David Gray
4. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To) -- Weezer
5. 21 Guns -- Green Day
6. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
7. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- U2
8. New Divide -- Linkin Park
9. Who Says -- John Mayer
10. Hey Soul Sister -- Train
11. Maybe -- Ingrid Michaelson
12. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band
13. Second Chance -- Shinedown
14. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
15. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
16. Life IN Technicolor II -- Coldplay
17. Closer to Love -- Matt Kearney
18. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
19. Be There -- Howie Day
20. No Surprise -- Daughtry
21. Falling for You -- Colbie Callait
22. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
23. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
24. Get On Your Boots -- U2
25. Notion -- Kings of Leon
26. Just Say Yes -- Snow Patrol
27. Dreams -- Brandi Carlisle
28. Little Bribes -- Death Cab for Cutie
29. Never Say Never -- Thr Fray
30. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
31. Magnificent -- U2
32. Help, I'm Alive -- Metric
33. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
34. Lovers in Japan -- Coldplay
35. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
36. Her Diamonds -- Rob Thomas
37. Smile -- Uncle Cracker
38. 1901 -- Phoenix
39. Little Bit of Red -- Serena Rider
40. Airstream Driver -- Gomez
41. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
42. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
43. Spaceman -- The Killers
44. Backwards Down the Number Line -- Phish
45. This Town -- O.A.R.
46. Fly One Time -- Ben Harper & the Relentless 7
47. You Never Know -- Wilco
48. Nothing Ever Hurt Like You -- James Morrison
49. All for Love -- Serena Rider
50. Magik -- Ryan Adams
51. Don't Wanna Cry -- Peter Yorn
52. Decode -- Paramore
53. Hey You -- 311
54. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
55. Brother -- Pearl Jam
56. Cath -- Death Cab for Cutie
57. Staring Down -- Collective Soul
58. Fireflies -- Owl City
59. Hot and Cold -- Katy Perry
60. Hey World -- Michasel Franti & Spearhead
61. U Want Me 2 -- Sarah McLachlan
62. Heaven -- Brent Dennen feat Natalie Merchant
63. Welcome to England -- Tori Amos
64. Let It Be Me -- Ray LaMontagne
65. Shimmer and Shine -- Ben Harper & the Relentless Seven
66. Free Me -- Joss Stone
67. Home Thing -- Freddy Jones Band
68. Mykonos -- Fleet Foxes
69. Love Solution -- Nelo
70. I Ain't Hiding -- Black Crowes
71. Come Back When You Can -- Barcelona
72. Say Please -- Monsters of Folk
73. First Train Home -- Imogen Heap
74. The Love of One -- Lee Harvey Osmond
75. Chances -- Five for Fighting
76. Kandi -- One Eskimo
77. Top Yourself -- The Raconteurs
78. Open Pages -- Rocco DeLuca & The Burden
79. Fitz and the Dizzy Spells -- Andrew Bird
80. The Fear -- Lily Allen
81. Me No -- Clem Snide
82. Candy -- Paolo Nuiti
83. Soldier of Love -- Sade
84. Day In Day Out -- Aaron Barnhart
85. People Gor a Lot of Nerve -- Neko Case
86. Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song -- Matt Hires
87. Nothing But a Miracle -- Diane Burch
88. The Devil Ain't Gonna Get My Soul -- Finlay Morton
89. If You Only Knew -- Shinedown
90. Stella the Artist -- David Gray
91. Your Heart -- Donovan Frankenreiter
92. Meet Me By the Back Door -- Charlie Mars
93. Make Me Believe -- Angel Taylor
94. Nikorette -- Conor Oberst and the MBT
95. Ain't Gonna Love You -- Brett Dennen
96. Shut Your Mouth -- Astrid Williamson
97. Good Morning -- Ian McFerrin Band
98. She Ain't Me -- Carrie Rodriguez
99. The A-ha Song -- Cary Judd
100. 40 Dogs (Like Romeo & Juliet)-- Bob Schneider
101. John Q. Lonely -- Maia Sharp
102. Pick Me Up -- Matt Hires
103. Take a Break -- Catherine MacLellan

WBRU Top 95.5 of 2009

WBRU is a commercial modern rocker owned by a college -- in this case Brown University. It's always been an above average station and it remains an interesting mix of mainstream and indie alterntive rock

1. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
2. 1901 -- Phoenix
3. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
4. Sometime Around Midnight -- The Airborne Toxic Event
5. Uprising -- Muse
6. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
7. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
8. Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
9. Help I'm Alive -- Metric
10. Percussion Gun -- White Rabbits
11. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
12. Brick by Boring Brick -- Paramore
13. Sleepyhead -- Passion Pit
14. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
15. I've Got Friends -- Machester Orchestra
16. Grapevine Fires -- Death Cab for Cutie
17. One In A Million -- Monty Are I
18. At the Bottom -- Brand New
19. Greatest Man That Ever Lived -- Weezer
20. Spaceman -- The Killers
21. Non-Dairy Creamer -- Third Eye Blind
22. The Reeling -- Passion Pit
23. Hate Everyone -- Say Anything
24. Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
25. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
26. Ignorance -- Paramore
27. Savior -- Rise Against
28. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
29. Audience of One -- Rise Against
30. I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked -- Ida Maria
31. New Fang -- Them Crooked Vultures
32. Blood On My Hands -- The Used
33. The Feel Good Drag -- Amberlin
34. Dine With the Devil -- Viennagram
35. Don't Believe A Word -- Third Eye Blind
36. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
37. Take Me Home -- After Midnight Project
38. Notion -- Kings of Leon
39. I Know What I Am -- Band of Skulls
40. 21 Guns -- Green Day
41. Wishing Well -- The Airborne Toxic Event
42. Too Fake -- Hockey
43. Breaking -- Anberlin
44. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
45. New Divide -- Linkin Park
46. One Day -- Matishyahu
47. Heavy Cross -- Gossip
48. Mountain Man -- Crash Kings
49. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
50. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
51. Mess of Me -- Switchfoot
52. Singularity -- Fairhaven
53. Shake It Out -- Manchester Orchestra
54. Changing -- Saosin
55. Gold Guns Girls -- Metric
56. Slow Poison -- The Bravery
57. East Jesus Nowhere -- Green Day
58. Oh My God -- Ida Maria
59. She's A Genius -- Jet
60. A Dustland Fairytale -- The Killers
61. Jars -- Chevelle
62. Show Me What I'm Looking For -- Caraolina Liar
63. Bonfire -- Third Eye Blind
64. Hey You -- 311
65. Go Getter Greg -- Ludo
66. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
67. Around the Bend -- Asteroids Galaxy Tour
68. Ghost Town -- Shiny Toy Guns
69. Brother -- Pearl Jam
70. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band
71. Closer -- Kings of Leon
72. Get On Your Boots -- U2
73. So What If.. -- For the Love of Sloan
74. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
75. Medicate -- AFI
76. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
77. Dominos -- The Big pink
78. Half Truism -- The Offsprong
79. I Love College -- Asher Roth
80. I Caught Myself -- Paramore
81. Check My Brain -- Alice In Chains
82. Magnificent -- U2
83. Treat Me Like Your Mother -- The Dead Weather
84. Never Take Us Alive -- Madina Lake
85. Dirt Room -- Blue October
86. Turn Me Off -- Audrdyre Sessions
87. Again -- Flyleaf
88. Life In Technicolor II -- Coldplay
89. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
90. Evening Wear -- Mindless Self Indulgence
91. Nothing to Worry About -- Peter Bjorn & John
92. Grafitti Eyes -- StellaStarr
93. 100 Little Curses -- Street Sweeper Social Scenc
94. Worth It All -- Fairhaven
95. Letter From A Thief -- Chevelle
96. For What It's Worth -- Placebo

WWCD -- CD101's Top 101 of 2009

Evidence that Columbus Ohio is a far cooler place than you expected. Seattle wishes it had a commercial alternative station this good (KNDD used to be, but that's another story)

1. Daylight -- Matt & Kim
2. 1901 -- Phoenix
3. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
4. I Know What I Am -- Band of Skulls
5. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
6. Percussion Gun -- White Rabbits
7. Help, I'm Alive -- Metric
8. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
9. I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra
10. Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
11. Walking On a Dream -- Empire of the Sun
12. Oscar Wilde -- Company of Thieves
13. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
14. Spaceman -- The Killers
15. Grafitti Eyes -- Stellastarr
16. Around the Bend -- Asterods Galaxy Tout
17. So Far So Good -- Karate Coyote
18. Notion -- Kings of Leon
19. Last Man Standing -- People in Planes
20. Grapevine Fires -- Death Cab for Cutie
21. Uprising -- Muse
22. Sometime Around Midnight -- The Airborne Toxic Event
23. Pale Bride -- Von Bondies
24. Just Impolite -- Plushgun
25. Too Fake -- Hockey
26. Heads Will Roll -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
27. Get Yours -- Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
28. My Last Mistake -- Dan Auerbach
29. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
30. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
31. I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked -- Ida Maria
32. Wishing Well -- The Airborne Toxic Event
33. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
34. The Reeling -- Passion Pit'
35. The '59 Sound -- Gaslight Anthem
36. Hard Times -- Parlor Mob
37. Never Forget You -- Noisettes
38. Good Days Bad Days -- Kaiser Chiefs
39. One Day -- Matishyahu
40. Airstream Driver -- Gomez
41. Consoler of the Lonely -- The Raconteurs
42. Sugarfoot -- Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
43. Ulysses -- Franz Ferdinand
44. Fire -- Kasabian
45. Life In Technicolor II -- Coldplay
46. Old Whtie Lincoln -- The Gaslight Anthem
47. Nothing to Worry About -- Peter Bjorn & john
48. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
49. Slow Poison -- The Bravery
50. White Winter Hymnal -- Fleet Foxes
51. A Dustland Fairytale -- The Killers
52. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
53. You Never Know -- Wilco
54. New Moon Rising -- Wolfmother
55. Two Weeks -- Grizzly Bear
56. One Week of Danger -- The Virgins
57. Hang You From the Heavens -- The Dead Weather
58. Ignorance -- Paramore
59. Ghost Town -- Shiny Toy Guns
60. Shove It -- Santogold
61. Propane Nightmares -- Pendulum
62. Crying Lightning -- Arctic Monkeys
63. Kingdom of Rust -- The Doves
64. Your English Is Good -- Tokyo Police Club
65. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab for Cutie
66. Living Things -- Oxygen
67. Got Nuffin -- Spoon
68. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups
69. Anything 'Cept the Truth -- Eagles of Death Metal
70. Fireflies -- Owl City
71. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains
72. Great Expectations -- The Gaslight Anthem
73. Treat Me Like Your Mother -- The Dead Weather
74. My Delerium -- Ladyhawke
75. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris -- Morrisey
76. I've Seen Enough -- Cold War Kids
77. Games for Days -- Julian Plenti
78. How You Like Me Now? -- The Heavy
79. Turn Me Off -- Audre Sessions
80. Youthless -- Beck
81. Kim & Jessie -- M83
82. Brother -- Pearl Jam
83. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
84. Say Please -- Monsters of Folk
85. 21 Guns -- Green Day
86. Let It Rain -- Living Things
87. Hell -- Tegan & Sara
88. Don't Believe Word -- Third Eye Blind
89. Day Drean Nation -- Envleope
90. I Hate People -- Jemina Pearl
91. Sweet Disposition -- Temper Trap
92. Say It -- Blue October
93. Full Moon -- Black Ghosts
94. Sacred Trickster -- Sonic Youth
95. Daniel -- Bat for Lashes
96. My Sunken Treasure -- Duke Spirit
97. Dirt Room -- Blue October
98. Non Dairy Creamer -- Third Eye Blind
99. Hey You -- 311
100. Lightning Storm -- Flogging Molly
101. Like A Vibration -- The Whigs

WXPN Year in Review 2009

Another listener poll from the station that's the gold standard for NPR AAA radio. WXPN out of Philadelphia

1. Home -- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
2. I and Love and You -- The Avett Brothers
3. 1901 -- Phoenix
4. When I Go Away -- Levon Helm
5. Two Weeks -- Grizzly Bear
6. The Great Defector -- Bell X1
7. Kandi -- One Eskimo
8. Lisztomania -- Phoenix
9. Dear God (Sincerely MOF) -- Monsters of Folk
10. Sea of Heartberak -- Rosanne Cash
11. You and I -- Wilco feat. Feist
12. Backwards Down the Number Line -- Phish
13. Meet Me On the Equinox -- Death Cab For Cutie
14. Pale Horses -- Moby
15. Say Please -- Monsters of Folk
16. Say Yes -- Langhorne Slim
17. You Never Know -- Wilco
18. Working on a Dream -- Bruce Springsteen
19. Never Going Back to Memphis -- Sherrnkia Copeland
20. Magnificent -- U2
21. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band
22. The Rake's Song -- The Decembrists
23. The Reeling -- Passion Pit
24. Little Secrets -- Passion Pit
25. People Got a Lot of Nerve -- Neko Case
26. Who Will Comfort Me? -- Melody Gerdot
27. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
28. Caroline -- Brandi Carlisle
29. Laughing With -- Regina Spektor
30. Just Ain't Gonna Work Out -- Mayer Hawthorne
31. It'a All Good -- Bob Dylan
32. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
33. Kick Drum Heart -- The Avett Brothers
34. Amongst the Waves -- Pearl Jam
35. Animal -- Miike Snow
36. Airstream Driver -- Gomez
37. My Girls -- Animal Collective
38. Never Had Nobody Like You -- M. Ward
39. Sleepyhead -- Passion Pit
40. Born Again -- Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons
41. Down to the Wire -- Son Volt
42. The Fear -- Lily Allen
43. Cleaning My Gun -- Mark Knopler
44. Dreams -- Brandi Carlisle
45. Nothing to Worry About -- Peter, Bjorn & John
46. Maybe -- Ingrid Michaelson
47. Bull Black Nova -- Wilco
48. Low Rising -- The Swell Season
49. The Mountain -- Heartless Bastards
50. 40 Day Dream -- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
51. French Navy -- Camera Obscura
52. When the Suns Out -- James Murdock
53. Gimme Sympathy -- Metric
54. The Walls Are Coming Down -- Fanfarlo
55. One Wing -- Wilco
56. Summertime Clothes -- Animal Collective
57. Wait for Me -- Moby
58. Horchata -- Vampire Weekend
59. Daniel -- Bat for Lashes
60. Eet -- Regina Spektor
61. Sugarfoot -- Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
62. Eet -- Regina Spektor
63. Breathe -- U2
64. Fugitive -- David Grey
65. First Train Home -- Imogen Heap
66. Hell -- Tegan and Sara
67. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
68. Slow Burning Crimes -- East Hundred
69. Second Chance -- John Lilley
70. Periodically Double or Triple -- Yo Lo Tengo
71. Down in the Flood -- Derek Trucks Band
72. Gunpowder -- Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
73. Geraldine -- Glasvegas
74. The Ruminant Band -- Fruit Bats
75. Empire State of Mind -- Jay Z feat. Alicia Keys
76. This Tornado Loves You -- Neko Case
77. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
78. Stillness Is the Move -- Dirty Projectors
79. Wavin' Flag -- K'naan
80. Wilco (The Song) -- Wilco
81. Taller Children -- Elizabeth & The Catapult
82. Beyond Here Lies Nothin' -- Bob Dylan
83. Fitz & The Dizzyspells -- Andrew Bird
84. Baby -- Devendra Barnhart
85. When My Time Comes -- Dawes
86. Got Nuffin -- Spoon
87. Root of the Industry -- Hoots and Hellmouth
88. Smoke -- Lucero
89. Chasing Pirates -- Norah Jones
90. It Don't Move Me -- Peter, Bjorn and John
91. Even If It Breaks Your Heart -- Will Hoge
92. Last Summer -- Peter Yorn
93. These Roads Don't Move -- Jasy Farrar & Ben Gibbard
94. Laundry Room -- The Avett Brothers
95. Percussion Gun -- White Rabbits
96. Little Bribes -- Death Cab for Cutie
97. Santa Cruz -- Erin McKeown
98. My Last Mistake -- Dan Auerbach
99. Buster Voodoo -- Rodrigo & Gabriela
100. Mama's Eyes -- Justin Townes Earle