Pulse Rankdown: 2018 Year End Alternative Chart (WE'RE DONE)

[Red]

And that is THAT! Wow! We actually got through this rankdown with little issues. Compare that to last year, where it seemed like anything that could go wrong did go wrong, this was a breeze. peacebone was a big help in that regard, as I knew I wouldn't have to go into this alone, and I think that he did a fantastic job hosting this with me. He's the real MVP of this rankdown...though he may have to share the MVP honor with the legions of people who submitted, followed along, commented, and had a blast following along on this wild journey through the year that was 2018 in Alternative radio. As always, you guys are why I do these rankdowns, and I love you all.

And with that...I need to take a break from hosting rankdowns...at least a short break. I just hope that, this time, I don't get burnt out on rankdowns entirely for a couple of weeks. I would hope that co-hosting would help to relieve that burnout. Guess we'll find out, won't we?

See you guys at the end of this year! And remember, rowellfarm490 and lyhom are both hosting 2018 rock chart rankdowns of their own, so check them out sometime! They're both fantastic hosts, and I'm sure they'll knock it out of the park once again.

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

10. Alice Merton - Lash Out
That's right I put both Alice Merton songs in the top 10. More fierce bass lines and catchy tempo never fail to get my feet tapping . BTW I'm gonna borrow that great looking still of her with the bat to make another sleeve for the song. Love that photo. ;)

9. Portugal The Man. - Live For The Moment
This song just sort of existed without me ever knowing it was around. It would have had to sport sirens in a list of songs for to even acknowledge it.

8. Nothing But Thieves - Sorry
This band lost all signs of testosterone with this song. I Forgot this was even on the list. Hey remember a really good song of that album called "Amsterdam". That's the one that should occupy this slot.

7. Blue October - I Hope You're Happy
Easily a career best here. They knocked it out of the park with the 80's vibe. This was the one song that just missed making my top 10. That's how stellar it is.

6. James Bay - Pink Lemonade
This refreshing tall glass of awesomeness just tasted better and better with each listen. It became The most surprising top 10 my own chart, but I'm glad it did. For me a perfect Alternative Rock song.

5. Meg Myers - Numb
It's no "Lemon Eyes", but I did enjoy it quite a bit. That's another great still to make a sleeve art from.

4. The Interrupters - She's Kerosene
I really hoped this one would win. I love how this song interrupted the stale ass vibe of the Alternative chart by injecting a little fun into the top 10.  This is a bonafide "Party Rock" song. I hope we see more Interrupters but also a little more ska vibe in 2019.

3. Manchester Orchestra - The Gold
There are few song from this band that get my adrenaline pumping, but there are some. This isn't one of them. I really don't feel this guy's vocals either. fans of this band must be ecstatic tho.

2. The Killers - Run For Cover
A truly amazing song. I cannot stop praising the guitar buildup in the intro enough. Message to Killers. Even if the entire Alt chart is one big Imagine Dragon's song. Never change your sound. Lately I started getting into another song from the album Titled "Out of My Mind". Totally the opposite of this one, but epic in its own way.

1. St. Vincent - Los Ageless
I like the fact that a female sung song won. 'nuff said.


Red peacebone

Both of you did a great job with the hosting . I'm grabbing a few of your MV images to make more sleeve art.

[Deleted]

OMG HOLY SHIT!!! ST. VINCENT ACTUALLY DID IT!!! YEEEES THIS IS GREAT, IM SO GLAD SHE WON. I was confident that Run For Cover would win but I’m so glad I was wrong.

[.indulgecountry]

Yay @ "Los Ageless" winning! I'm not used to a song I like this much winning one of these. Pleasantly surprised and very happy with this outcome.

[Deleted]

Arghh! I wanted The Killers to win. But they ranked number two, so it was satisfying enough I suppose. Also very happy Meg did make it this far, and I think she's superior to St Vincent in every way... but whatever.

[Walking Contradiction]

Was very pleased to see what the top 5 was from the outset, I would have been fine with them going out in any order from here, but let's see how things panned out:

5. Numb - Just a perfect female-led dark and moody grungy rocker, great to hear something like this in 2018. Did better than I expected here which is great.

4. She's Kerosene - My #1 makes top 5 which is just fine. Another fine fierce yet melodic rocker with female vocals, superb energy and super catchy hook. Brings a classic sound back into the mainstream without feeling like a tired retread.

3. The Gold - Another fantastic song from a band that hadn't really been on my radar until now, but I'm glad they found their way there. Didn't quite make my top 10 but still deserves this placement.

2. Run For Cover - Best Killers single in years, it has that same vibe that made "Spaceman" another favorite from them, plus great pointed lyrics that suit the state of our society perfectly today (despite having at least partially been written years ago).

1. Los Ageless - Came close to making my top 10, didn't quite make it, but still a very deserving and refreshing #1. Superb music, lyrics, and vocals make for a top-notch record that's very creative and dynamic while also being super catchy and danceable. Go Annie!

Thanks Red (for real this time!) and peacebone for another fine rankdown! This mixed bag of a year ended up making for a very interesting, surprising, and ultimately satisfying list, with little to no drama (of the bad kind) to boot!

[Daryl the Beryl]

Average ranks update:

The following artists have been added to the database:
AJR
Albert Hammond, Jr.
Alice Merton
Alisa Ueno
Bad Wolves
Benny Sings
Dennis Lloyd
The Driver Era
George Benson
The Glorious Sons
grandson
The Interrupters
Jukebox the Ghost
Just Loud
King Princess
Kitten
The Knocks
lovelytheband
Mansionair
Marshmello
Mt. Joy
Nervo
ODESZA
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Rex Orange County
Rivers Cuomo
Sofi Tucker
Superorganism
SYML
Two Feet
The Unlikely Candidates
WYNNE
YUNGBLUD

The following artists have their average ranks lowered:
AWOLNATION -0.111
Bear Hands -4.833
Blue October -4.5
Death Cab for Cutie -0.084
DREAMERS -1.667
Elle King -4.143
Franz Ferdinand -1.429
Imagine Dragons -0.542
James Bay -13.5
Joywave -2.196
The Killers -1.012
Linkin Park -0.015
Manchester Orchestra -5.917
Meg Myers -11.417
Mike Shinoda -11.5
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats -6.167
The Neighbourhood -1.833
Sir Sly -8.667
St. Vincent -10.5
twenty one pilots -2.192
Vance Joy -1.732
The Wombats -15.167
Young the Giant -1.056

The following artists have their average ranks raised:
The 1975 4.4
Amy Shark 0.5
Arctic Monkeys 1.786
Bastille 12.136
Beck 0.103
Bishop Briggs 4.333
Bleachers 9.95
CHVRCHES 7.6
Cold War Kids 2.889
Dashboard Confessional 2.7
Dirty Heads 0.75
Fall Out Boy 2.191
Florence + The Machine 1.381
Foo Fighters 0.518
Foster the People 1.125
Gorillaz 3.067
Greta Van Fleet 21.5
Jack White 0.833
Judah & the Lion 1.083
K.Flay 9.933
Moon Taxi 14
Muse 4.391
Nothing but Thieves 0.833
Panic! At the Disco 1.515
Pearl Jam 1.484
Portugal. The Man 0.714
The Revivalists 20.833
Rise Against 0.867
Robert DeLong 22
Royal Blood 1.033
The Struts 4.4
Thirty Seconds to Mars 5.879
Walk the Moon 18.75
Weezer 1.242

View the average ranks of all the artists, including the updated averages, here!

[Taiga]

SPOILER: Click to show

Jan 11, 2019 21:00:51 GMT -5 CF15 said:

Lol, am I the first to lose all my top 10? I never expected to do this poorly.

I lost all my top 10s at #11 so *raises hand* and *hides*

Nonetheless, a great winner! Thanks for hosting, Red and peacebone. Y'all did a fantastic job.

[House Lannister]

Jan 11, 2019 21:45:53 GMT -5 MoD said:

Jan 11, 2019 21:44:34 GMT -5 Red said:

House Lannister : 67

I don't think I love you anymore

You'll get over it.

The reason I tanked &Run is that I was massively annoyed by the music and the singer.  The lyrics were alright, I guess.  The songs behind that one were worse.

10.  Lash Out---I liked this one, but would have preferred No Roots to swap places here.
9.  Live in the Moment---Yep, there goes my likely winner.  I dug the chorus and wished this had became Portugal's second Hot 100 hit.
8.  Sorry---This was pretty good, but I think this might have been the weakest single we've had to rate from NBT.  Still, if that's their worse, then something's going right for them.
7.  I Hope You're Happy---Another song that was fine.
6.  Pink Lemonade---Probably the best single from Mr. Bay that I've heard.  Yeah, wasn't a fan of the whiny Let It Go or the middling Hold Back the River.
5.  Numb---Whoa!   She made top 5?!?    I might have had issues with her singing changing mid-verse, but the chorus is great and those guitars are on point.
4.  She's Kerosene---Really catchy.  Although they've been around for a while, this is their first hit?  Well, I hope they are able to keep that momentum going.  Also, goodbye top 10.
3.  The Gold---Yeah, this was my lowest rated song left.  But you know what?  It was still OK.
2.  Run for Cover---Another decent song but a far cry from their best.  And The Man for that matter.
1.  Los Ageless---And perhaps I had a hand in this song pulling away for the win.  If so, good.  This was a good first time listen.  I guess we struck a blow for feminism with this win.

Great job hosting, Red and peacebone .  Those graphics that revealed the song and placement were well done.  Pretty good winner.  See ya'll next time!

[Lordef†ones]

All I can say is I'm really glad Kerosene didn't win. Really don't get why people like that song, it's really annoying and probably would've been in my bottom 15 in any other year.

[peacebone]

Coming in very late here, but since I haven't gotten around to doing it yet (and it feels very wrong for me not to do it)...just wanted to thank my co-host, Red, for doing a tremendous job - as always (and the graphics were definitely a nice touch here). And of course, I'd like to thank everybody who participated (or even followed along) with this doozy of a rankdown...you all are what motivate us to host these rankdowns.

I'd also like to thank you guys for letting the correct song here win...it was a tight race between it and "The Gold" for most of the submissions process, but you guys pulled through in the end. :kii:

Anyways, yeahhhh, on to future ventures...like, ya know, Active and AAA (and 1996 Alt, once we get to that). Not sure when's the next time I'll be able to offer hosting duties...but it won't be until at least May. Anyways, see you all!

[YotamTS]

re-listened to numb and pink lemonade and gotta say both are phenomenal, would've gone in my top 5.
i'd rather have the gold as the winner but los ageless is still very solid.

great job as always at hosting this red and peacebone, thanks!

[peacebone]

Oh yeah, coming in late once again...but after forgetting to post them before reveals began (like I normally would), I planned on posting the Mediabase extras for Alt this year after the rankdown ended. If you're still curious about those, here's the list:

American Authors - "Deep Water"
Arkells - "Knocking at the Door"
Brother Sundance - "Blind"
Caroline Rose - "Jeannie Becomes a Mom"
Childish Gambino - "This Is America"
Dashboard Confessional - "Heart Beat Here"
Donna Missal - "Keep Lying"
Fall Out Boy - "Church"
Fall Out Boy - "Hold Me Tight or Don't"
Florence + the Machine - "Patricia"
Franz Ferdinand - "Feel the Love Go"
Greta Van Fleet - "Safari Song"
Houndmouth - "This Party"
Interpol - "The Rover"
Iration - "Press Play"
J. Roddy Walston & the Business - "You Know Me Better"
Jagwar Twin - "Loser"
LSD - "Genius"
Manchester Orchestra - "The Moth"
Mansionair - "Violet City"
Matt and Kim - "Glad I Tried"
MGMT - "Me and Michael"
Mikky Ekko - "Not the One"
New Politics - "Color Green"
ODESZA f/ Naomi Wild - "Higher Ground"
Pale Waves - "There's a Honey"
Queens of the Stone Age - "Feet Don't Fail Me"
Shinedown - "Devil"
Silent Rival - "Die a Little"
Slightly Stoopid f/Alborosie - "If You Want It"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Solara"
The Decemberists - "Severed"
The National - "Day I Die"
The Unlikely Candidates - "Oh My Dear Lord"
The War on Drugs - "Pain"
twenty one pilots - "Nico and the Niners"
Twin Shadow f/ HAIM - "Saturdays"
watt f/ Post Malone - "Burning Man"
YUNGBLUD - "Medication"

Yeah, as always, feel free to note which songs you're upset to see miss out. Personally, there's several songs here that would have gotten top 10 placements from me...but none more painful than "Me and Michael", which would have been my #1.

[Daryl the Beryl]

For those who want to know how well the Mediabase Extras did, here's the link:

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vtXs3Vkl-d5IIjdAnyfJrAru_51_3qQ_PKLE82-Hw90/edit?usp=drivesdk

5 more songs also appeared on Billboard's New and Active section, but did not make Mediabase's top 50:

Song Peak Spins Position
Breaking Benjamin - Red Cold River 175
Ghost - Rats 153
Seether - Betray and Degrade 142
Caroline Rose - Soul No. 5 130
Cigarettes after Sex - Apocalypse 125

I will post my thoughts on the songs later.

[Red]

There's a bunch of good extras there, including multiple songs I would have had way too high...but one extra soars above the others: "Feet Don't Fail Me" would have been my #1.

[House Lannister]

Hold Me Tight or Don't was better than Last of the Real Ones. I might have put this top 60.

Because I got other rankdown results in limbo, I can't comment on Devil or This is America other than to say both would have done well.

The same thing goes for Solara and Safari Song, except I liked those less than the other two.

[Daryl the Beryl]

1. Brother Sundance - Blind - Glad this didn't chart on Billboard - another pop disguised as alt. It's not that good of a pop song either. Would've been for me: 81-90
2. Donna Missal - Keep Lying - Nice bassline and vocals on this one, wouldn't have a problem ranking this. Would've been for me: 26-35
3. Dashboard Confessional - Heart Beat Here - It's just there. Would've been for me: 61-70
4. The War on Drugs - Pain - This missing Billboard is still a fucking travesty. Would've been for me: Top 3, maybe even #1
5. Arkells - Knocking at the Door - The #1 song in Canada (edit: to clarify, in 2017) also happens to be a good CanCon crossover. I've generally liked most of what I've heard from these CanCon hits. Would've been for me: 26-30
6. J. Roddy Walston & the Business - You Know Me Better - I prefer "The Wanting". Would've been for me: 66-70
7. Florence + the Machine - Patricia - And here's a song that should've done better on Alt, but no, Republic opted for the sure-fail split format release. Why not just push this to AAA as well then push "Sky Full of Song" later? Would've been for me: 21-30
8. New Politics - Color Green - Eh, it's not as bad as their 2015 era singles, at least? Would've been for me: 86-90
9. Shinedown - Devil - At least they made another kickass lead single. "Get Up" on the other hand... Would've been for me: 26-30
10. American Authors - Deep Water - Bleh. Would've been for me: 91-95
11. Mikky Ekko - Not the One - Not much to say about this one, but I am not too keen on his vocals. Would've been for me: 76-80
12. Mansionair - Violet City - I re-listened to this a few days ago to see what people are seeing here, but I still don't think it's that great. Good song though. Would've been for me: 31-40
13. ODESZA f/ Naomi Wild - Higher Ground - Another EDM song done right. Would've been for me: 31-40
14. Silent Rival - Die a Little - We need more alt rock done in this style and less of the FOBs and PATDs out there. Would've been for me: 16-20 (but barely)
15. Fall Out Boy - Church - Worse than their rankdown single, but it's at least better than "Champion". Would've been for me: 91-95
16. The National - Day I Die - I still love this, but it's not one of their better songs. Still good enough for a top 10 ranking from me though.
17. Houndmouth - This Party - Houndmouth going indie pop is something unexpected, at least. Would've been for me: 41-50
18. Smashing Pumpkins - Solara - Wished a heavier Pumpkins song made Billboard's chart. It is also another great song from them. Would've been for me: 16-20
19. MGMT - Me and Michael - I think this would have done the best among these 39 songs had it made the cut? Would've been for me: Top 10, easily.
20. YUNGBLUD - Medication - A fucking travesty from start to finish. Would've been for me: BOTTOM 5
21. Interpol - The Rover - This has honestly not held that well for me compared to their other singles, but it should still have charted on Billboard. Would've been for me: 21-25
22. Matt and Kim - Glad I Tried - May this be the era alternative will be free from them. Would've been for me: Easy bottom 10
23. The Decemberists - Severed - I still think "Sucker's Prayer" is better, but I think this is the most fun song I've heard from them. Would've been for me: Top 10 for a list like this
24. watt f/ Post Malone - Burning Man - Here's another song that should've done better on the charts. "Ghost in My Head" is better though. Would've been for me: 26-30
25. Manchester Orchestra - The Moth - Great song but I've heard better from A Black Mile to the Surface. Would've been for me: 16-20
26. Twin Shadow f/ HAIM - Saturdays - Here's another song I would have had no problems with making the chart. Good track. Would've been for me: 31-40
27. Slightly Stoopid f/Alborosie - If You Want It - Heard this like once and all I remember is that it's forgettable reggae. Would've been for me: 81-85 I guess
28. Iration - Press Play - Now here's a more memorable reggae track, but it's still not that great. Would've been for me: 51-60
29. Jagwar Twin - Loser - Decent indie pop, nothing much to say here. Would've been for me: 51-60
30. Franz Ferdinand - Feel the Love Go - At least they had a second single make the top 50? It's no "Always Ascending", for sure. Would've been for me: 26-30
31. Childish Gambino - This Is America - Here's a great rap song that shits on the mediocre or awful crap like AJR and lovelytheband. Would've been for me: 16-20
32. twenty one pilots - Nico and the Niners - "Jumpsuit" this is not. Would've been for me: 51-60
33. LSD - Genius - I liked "Thunderclouds", but I don't get the appeal of this song. Would've been for me: 76-80, might have to re-visit this to see whether my thoughts have changed.
34. The Unlikely Candidates - Oh My Dear Lord - Title of the track says it all. Bottom 10 this shit.
35. Queens of the Stone Age - Feet Don't Fail Me - Has one of my favorite intros for recent songs, and this should've done much much better. Would've been for me: Top 10, maybe top 5.
36. Caroline Rose - Jeannie Becomes a Mom - Great song, nothing much to say here. Would've been for me: 26-30
37. Greta Van Fleet - Safari Song - My favorite single from them. Would've been for me: 16-20, maybe even top 15.
38. Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Tight or Don't - It's catchy but I could do away with this nonetheless as the stuttering is annoying. Would've been for me: 86-90
39. Pale Waves - There's a Honey - I think I liked this one more at first, but it has not held that well for me. Still a good indie pop song, though. Would've been for me: 41-50, maybe top 40 at best.

As for the 5 other songs, "Red Cold River" would've been around 31-35 (it has not held very well for me), "Rats" would've been in my top 20, "Apocalypse" would've easily been in my top 5, "Soul No.5" I would've treated as well or better than "Jeannie Becomes a Mom", and "Betray and Degrade" would have also been in my 31-35 region of my list, maybe barely top 30.

[Leaf]

The Moth...my would-be #1 right there. Recently been enjoying it more than The Gold.

[maine]

Jan 13, 2019 19:39:56 GMT -5 peacebone said:

Oh yeah, coming in late once again...but after forgetting to post them before reveals began (like I normally would), I planned on posting the Mediabase extras for Alt this year after the rankdown ended. If you're still curious about those, here's the list:

Franz Ferdinand - "Feel the Love Go"
Greta Van Fleet - "Safari Song"
Interpol - "The Rover"
Manchester Orchestra - "The Moth"
Mansionair - "Violet City"
Queens of the Stone Age - "Feet Don't Fail Me"
Shinedown - "Devil"
The Decemberists - "Severed"
The National - "Day I Die"
The War on Drugs - "Pain"
Twin Shadow f/ HAIM - "Saturdays"
watt f/ Post Malone - "Burning Man"

These would have all be very high for me, while "Violet City" and "Day I Die" would have been inside of my top 3.

[Deleted]

Devil, Day I Die, Pain and Rats were all great discoveries in the rankdowns I listened to them in, all of them would've been top 10 for me. This is America, Patricia, and especially Burning Man would also be very high for me.

[Lordef†ones]

Me and Michael, The Moth, Higher Ground, Feet Don't Fail Me, and Pain all would've been in my top ten. This is America, Solara, and The Rover would've been top 20. This set of extras hurts the most.

[zaclord 🌈]

Yay we made it through without anyone being called a cousinfucker this year!

Sad I missed the end of this, but great job to the hosts! I love these year-end Alt rankdowns since there is such a wide variety of musical tastes who participate and it's very unpredictable! I find "Los Ageless" to be a bit overrated, but it's still good so I'm fine with it winning.