THE BEST OF 2016 - The Best ROCK Of The Year

THE BEST OF 2016 - THE YEAR IN ROCK

- For years, if you asked me my list of all-time dream concerts, I'd list defunct bands like Queen, The Ramones, and Led Zeppelin. But always in the mix would be Guns n' Roses. Original line-up. In 2016, the impossible happened - GnR reunited - Axl and Slash together again. Welcome to the jungle, baby - the band was back together. Seeing GnR at the height of their powers at Dodger Stadium this past August was an all-time music moment for me and the thousands of other fans in attendance. A thing we thought we'd never see. And remarkably, Axl was in fine form - his voice in top form (in far better form, in fact, than when I'd seen him previously as part of his "Axl and friends" makeshift GnR line-ups). Slash of course is a given - the dude is an immortal rock god. But Axl was the real surprise - following recovery from a broken leg suffered earlier on the tour, he was back in fine form in LA - juking and jiving and Axl-dancing like it was 1989. It was a potent reminder that for a moment, GnR was the biggest band in the world - a dangerous force of nature the likes of which we've not seen since. Seeing the band - the real band - live in 2016 is a moment I'll never forget.

Bonus for the GnR concert: another favorite band, The Cult, was the opener. Given that the crowd was there for GnR, not The Cult, it wasn't exactly the ideal circumstances in which to get the full Cult experience. But still, I got to hear "She Sells Sanctuary" live, so I'll take it. I saw a number of other excellent concerts this past year - most notably, Alice Cooper live, the night before Halloween, at the Pantages theater in Hollywood. I've seen Cooper live before, but my appreciation for his music has only grown over the years. And of course, seeing him in a theater like the Pantages, just before Halloween ... I mean, does it get any better? 

I also had the unique pleasure of seeing the legendary John Carpenter in concert. Carpenter has been one of my cinematic heroes for years, and a big part of that has always been the moody synth scores he's composed for his movies - iconic pieces that were and are hugely influential on movies, rock music, videogames, etc. In the last few years, Carpenter has released a pair of albums of all-new music - Lost Themes in 2015, and Lost Themes II in 2016. These albums are positively bad-ass (and the rocking track "Dark Blues" makes my Songs of the Year list below). So, seeing Carpenter live at the historic Orpheum theater, performing a mix of movie scores (Escape From NY! Halloween! They Live!) and tracks from Lost Themes was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I won't soon forget. Surreal to be sitting in a theater watching a legend like Carpenter perform. 

What else? I saw Boston - an all-time favorite - with their re-booted line-up at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, which was pretty cool. And speaking of legends ... I saw John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl, conducting iconic scores from Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, etc. Pretty incredible. Being at the Bowl in a sea of lightsabers was definitely something. It was my first time seeing Williams live, and it was undoubtedly a memorable concert.

Of course, 2016 was (in many ways) a tragic year. Some of the all-time legends passed away, and their deaths hit hard. For me, David Bowie's passing was a gut-punch. Bowie was such an icon - a seemingly-immortal creature who was a being of pure rock n' roll. He was rock personified - a man who embraced the role of outcast and misfit, the godfather of glam rock, the man who fell to earth. It seemed unreal that Ziggy Stardust could succumb to death. Because even though Bowie had kept a low profile for a long time, his presence loomed large. There was a strange comfort in knowing he was out there, that we lived in a time when Bowie lived. To add to the mystique of Bowie's life and death, Bowie's passing was immediately preceded by a final album - one that seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and that - it quickly became apparent - was a farewell. Even now, Blackstar is almost too painful to listen to. But it's brilliant work - art commenting on life commenting on art - a final chapter in a life that was lived as art to the end. I went on a huge Bowie kick after his death - I'm on that kick still. We'll never see another like him.

The same can be said for Prince. A musical prodigy whose message of love and individuality struck a chord in 2016, making his death seem like some sort of cosmic casualty of this cursed calendar year. Prince's death was shocking, but the one silver lining was the way in which it prompted many of us to do a deep dive into the man's vast catalog of music - a treasure trove of funk and rock and immortal pop that will live forever. 

So many other great artists died this year - George Michael, Merle Haggerd ... but the one other I'll talk about is Leonard Cohen. I had a roundabout way of becoming a Cohen fan. I knew of him and knew some of his songs by the time I was in college, but I really became a super-fan when I saw, of all things, the movie The King of Kong. A scene in that movie used Cohen's "Everybody Knows" to such great effect that it quickly became a favorite song of mine on heavy-rotation, and that prompted me to dive deeper into Cohen's catalog and learn more about him. What a unique artist. His deep, world-weary voice was one of a kind. His poetic lyrics were unmatched. And his longevity was pretty remarkable. The world lost an icon when Leonard Cohen died. 

As for this year in music ... it was another year where you really had to search for and seek out the good stuff. Rock once again seemed largely absent from the pop-cultural conversation - except when, unfortunately, talking about fallen icons and heroes. But there was good stuff, and the more I looked back and recalled music I enjoyed in 2016, the more I realized there was a pretty excellent list of new stuff from this year. And there are some great bands out there - from Volbeat to the Dropkick Murphys - that continue to churn out quality rock music. So though many great ones left us in 2016, take comfort: rock yet lives.


DANNY'S TOP ROCK SONGS OF 2016:


1.) David Bowie - "Lazarus"

-  Haunting ... to put it mildly. David Bowie's last will and testament is a mythical, magical, otherworldly song that speaks to the inevitability of death and the struggle for immortality. The song quickly took on new meaning in the wake of Bowie's passing, but rarely has an artist seemed to go out in quite this way - on his own terms, with his music providing a final goodbye. Life and death and art impossibly entangled. 

2.) Sing Street - "Riddle of the Model"

- If you haven't seen the movie Sing Street, watch it. Now, I'll wait! But seriously, Sing Street is a great, empowering, uplifting tribute to the power of rock music to escape, to fight the power, to bring people together, to turn misery into hope and struggle into freedom. But more specifically, "Riddle of the Model" is just an insanely catchy homage to 80's new wave, sounding like some lost Depeche Mode song that never was. 

3.) John Carpenter - "Dark Blues"

- As talked about above, I've always loved John Carpenter movie scores (my fave: Escape From NY), and so his Lost Themes albums of new music have been real treats. 2016's Lost Themes II added more of a rock n' roll edge to Carpenter's trademark synth, and one of the best products of that was Dark Blues - which layers crunchy guitar over moody synth for a result that is, in a word, badass.

4.) Dropkick Murphys - "Blood" 

- And here's just a straight-up fist-pumper - vintage Murphys that is meant to be played in a stadium of people looking to get their adrenaline levels up. Blood is one of the first tracks released off the Murphy's upcoming 2017 album, and it's a scorcher. Thank god there are still songs like this being made in 2016.

5.) Volbeat - "The Devil's Bleeding Crown" 

- If you're not familiar with Volbeat, they are one of the best rock bands going - purveyors of epic, metal-tinged barn-burners like "Lola Montez." This year, they had a new album that was a return to their harder-edged roots - hence a song with a title like "The Devil's Bleeding Crown." These guys are not messing around. But if you want an Iron Maiden-esque rock ballad that is guaranteed to get your motor runnin', look no further.

6.) Green Day - "Bang Bang" 

- I'll freely admit: Green Day is one of my favorite bands, and I love both their old-school stuff as well as their more recent concept albums like American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. I was not so hot on their triple-album experiment, and their latest, Revolution Radio, is a definite mixed-bag. But the original single from the album, Bang Bang, is the highlight - a one-off return-to-form that sees the band rage against the machine with an aggressive punk-rock stomper. 

7.) Mudcrutch - "Beautiful World"

- If there is one constant for me as a music fan, it's that when Tom Petty comes out with a new album, I will buy it. I always find something to like in Petty's releases, and that holds true for his side-project Mudcrutch - the back-to-basics band that predated The Heartbreakers, re-formed by Petty a few years back. Mudcrutch's latest album is almost *too* basic, filled with solid if unremarkable rock. But one standout is definitely Beautiful World, the kind of somber-yet-hopeful song that has always been Petty's bread and butter - a me-vs.-the-world anthem that is a must-listen for any and all Petty fans.

8.) The Interrupters - "By My Side"

- Last year I praised The Interrupters as one of the best new rock bands in a long while. Singer Aimee Allen made a career pivot from dark rock ballads to jumpy punk and ska, and she did it in a way that calls to mind the best bands of the genre. The Interrupters' second album is filled with catchy punk anthems, the most fun of which might be By My Side. "I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! But if I do die, do die - you'd better be by my side!" is a punk rock shout-out for the ages.

9.) The Struts - "Could Have Been Me"

- A classic rock throwback band of sorts, The Struts made waves recently by touring with The Rolling Stones. Makes sense - the band has Stones-esque swagger and a knack for combining blues-y rock with 80's-style arena-filling epicness. Could Have Been Me is a catchy rock anthem, a sign that rock still has pop potential in 2016. 

10.) Metallica - "Here Comes Revenge"

- Finally, there's Metallica. The iconic band put out a new album in 2016, and it was hard. Devoid of softer ballads, this was an album for true-blue fans. That said, as someone who doesn't mind Metallica's more ballad-y stuff, I found Here Comes Revenge a stand-out. Don't get me wrong - this song is aggressive af. But it matches driving guitar with some soaring Hetfield vocals that still pack a punch. It's comforting to know that Metallica can still rock this hard.

THE BEST OF 2014 - The Best ROCK Of The Year

THE BEST OF 2014 - THE YEAR IN ROCK

- 2014 saw a continuation of the previous year's slowed momentum for all things rock. And yet, there were signs of a pulse. Some great new bands emerged from far corners and unexpected places. It was also a year in which some of rock n' roll's biggest titans stood tall - determined to send a message that, as long as they were still alive and kicking, rock yet lived.

If nothing else, 2014 was the year that AC/DC returned. Despite illness and turmoil in the band, the rock legends pulled it together for, perhaps, one final run. And that effort brought us Rock Or Bust, and album that continues AC/DC's uncanny, unflappable streak of delivering great rock music without fail. In these waning days, a new AC/DC album was a true gift from the rock gods - a reminder of what pure rock sounds like from a band that embodies the rock n' roll spirit. In 2014, I bought a new AC/DC album, and that alone makes it a pretty damn good year in my eyes.


Other big rock acts hit back this year with new material, to varying degrees of success. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - prolific in recent years - came out with Hypnotic Eye, which was a solid if not amazing album. What really sold me on its songs though was when I heard them played live. I saw the Heartbreakers play in LA at The Forum, and it was a true show for the ages. Petty was in rare form, and he blazed through hits and rarities and new material. And the tracks he played off his latest album sounded phenomenal on that night. Weezer, The Foo Fighters and Jack White also came out with some great new music, though the biggest news in the rock world may have been U2's iTunes album-drop. I'll admit, something about the spectacle of it all turned me off. But eventually, I warmed up to some of the songs, and felt grateful that U2 was still capable of doing innovative stuff here in 2014. The gifting of the album to everyone though? It may have been a little much.

But really, did anyone have a better year than "Weird" Al Yankovic? One of my musical and comedy heroes since childhood, Weird Al had a true moment in 2014, and it was well-deserved. For a while, Weird Al's offbeat but inherently well-meaning brand of comedy seemed decidedly uncool. Liking Al was the musical equivalent of admitting to playing Dungeons & Dragons. But in 2014, the world finally caught on to the fact that Weird Al is a by-god national treasure - a man whose songs are clever, funny, and the rare sort of pop-cultural treasure that can be equally appreciated by people of all ages. America was loud and proud in its collective love for the Weird One in 2014, and man, it's about damn time. I guess it's just another sign that the nerds have won? But regardless, it was great to be living in a world in which Al is a beloved icon, and even more so, a world where his latest album became a #1 chart-topper. With spot-on parodies of the latest pop music, Al's latest was right up there with his greatest. What a man.

I do think that 2015 has the potential to be a real turnaround year for rock. There are several albums I'm looking forward to in the new year, including new albums from favorites like The Darkness and Scorpions. But my main hope is simply that good new stuff gets played. Every so often I'll hear a great new song, like Volbeat's infectious rocker "Lola Montez," and I'll think "Yes, this. Show me more of this." Or I'll get turned on to a great new band, like Twenty One Pilots, whose 2013 album Vessel was my favorite musical discovery of this year. Hearing songs like "Car Radio," "Semi-Automatic," and "Guns for Hands," I was sort of blown away. This was new, original, different ... but it was 100% rock. I want more new bands - bands that embody rock n' roll (as opposed to the seemingly neverending parade of folky indie bands) - to break through in the coming year. And by the way, I'm going to include both of the above in my 2014 best-of, because neither really hit the mainstream until this year.

I also saw some great live shows in 2014. I saw none other than KISS in concert (with opener Def Leppard), and they completely rocked. Talk smack about them if you like, but they still put on a hell of a show. I last saw KISS circa 2003, so eleven years later, it was great to see 'em one more time. I also saw Motley Crue at the Hollywood Bowl, during their farewell tour. I'm only a casual Crue fan, but it was a great, hugely energetic show - made even better by the fact that the opener was one of my all-time faves, the legendary Alice Cooper. I also saw Tom Petty and the Hartbreakers, as mentioned, and it was a fantastic show at The Forum. An added treat was seeing opener Steve Winwood - not someone I'd see solo, but a definite bonus in this instance. Finally, I was lucky enough to see The Simpsons, live at the Hollywood Bowl. A 25th Anniversary celebration, featuring key voice talent from the show - as well as special guests like Conan O'Brien, Jon Lovitz, and Weird Al - it was a fantastic tribute to the show and all of the great songs and musical numbers it's produced over the years. As a lifelong Simpsons fan, this was a rare treat.

Here's to a rocking 2015. As AC/DC said: it's rock or bust, baby.



DANNY'S TOP ROCK SONGS OF 2014:


1.) Twenty One Pilots - "Car Radio" / "Semi-Automatic"

-  I heard "Car Radio" on the radio one day (ironically enough), and it was one of those "thank god for Shazam" moments. The song was not quite like anything I'd heard before - an escalating descent into madness that evolved from a deliberately spoken rap/emo hybrid into a head-banging rock/EDM rager. Soon after, I caught Twenty One Pilots when they performed on the MTV Movie Awards back in April. These guys were insane. Donning white face masks and stage-diving into the crowd like alien freaks, this was, finally, it seemed to me, a legit rock band for the 2010's. As I dove into their album, "Vessel," I was pretty amazed at how seamlessly they blended rock, rap, and EDM to create something wholly unique. "Car Radio" and "Semi-Automatic" are my favorite examples of their sound - great, catchy songs that go from zero to one-hundred and just plain rock.

2.) AC/DC - "Rock Or Bust" / "Rock the Blues Away"

-When I heard "Rock or Bust," all seemed right with the world. This is just straight-up classic rock, the sort of stuff that AC/DC seems to be able to churn out in their sleep. And yet, with a long gap between albums, and with rumors that this could be their final run, this is not the sort of song we can take for granted. In reality, "Rock or Bust" is a minor miracle - a song that's vintage AC/DC at a point in the band's career when they shouldn't be able to still be making music this good. "Rock or Bust" is yet another mission-statement from a band that is needed now more than ever, digging their heels in the sand and saying "Rock on its deathbed? Not on our watch."

3.) Weezer - "Back to the Shack"

- Weezer gets a lot of undeserved crap, but the one thing that is true is that it was high time that they delivered a kick-ass rock song on the level of their best tunes. Luckily, they did just that with "Back to the Shack," a stand-up-and-clap-your-hands rallying cry that beckons listeners to rock out "like it's '94." This is Weezer at its best - confessional and defiant, funny and flip, rocking confidently while also being self-effacing.

4.) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "Shadow People" / "Forgotten Man"

- With each passing year, Tom Petty seems less and less interested in creating a radio-friendly rock anthem in the vein of his greatest hits. But he can still rock a jam like nobody's business, and he's still one of the best lyrics-guys in the biz. "Shadow People" is a mesmerizing, hypnotic jam that sucks you in and doesn't let go. "Forgotten Man" is a more straight-up rocker, a bluesy tune that casts Petty as a man out of time. Like that's news. 

5.) Jack White - "Lazaretto"

- I still miss The White Stripes, but Jack White has been keeping plenty busy, and I can't deny that his solo stuff has been pretty consistently excellent and interesting. His latest album was an eclectic mix of sounds and styles, but "Lazaretto" is the loudest, most badass rocker of the bunch. With White's trademark guitar stylings and rebel-yell vocals, it's the kind of song that makes you appreciative that guys like White are carrying the rock torch loud and proud.

6.) Volbeat - "Lola Montez"

- I noticed this song one day atop the iTunes charts and gave it a listen. What I heard was one of the catchiest rock songs in a long while, the kind that begs you to sing along and jump around. The source is unlikely - Volbeat is a Danish rock band whose songs lean towards the metal side of the spectrum. But Lola Montez is a melodic, anthemic song - with strange lyrics about a legendary Spanish dancer. Whatever it is, it works, and I'm pumped to hear more from this band.

7.) The Pretty Reckless - "Heaven Knows"

- The Pretty Reckless were a band that, until now, has perhaps been better in concept than in execution. Led by Taylor Momsen of TV's The OC, the band's trashy, thrashy aesthetic made me want to like them, but I just never got that into the music. But with "Heaven Knows," I'm converted. The song feels like vintage 80's arena-rock, and it's the kind of fist-pumper that you just don't hear much of anymore. It's a perfect match for Momsen's growling voice, and the whole thing has a Joan Jett-esque flair that I dig.

8.) U2 - "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)"

- This one grated on me a bit at first, but after a few listens I really came around to it. For one thing, I like the premise - the idea of a young Bono being transfixed by the music of Joey Ramone ... that's pretty cool. For another thing, I like the song's mix of heavy, distorted guitar with soulful singing. In a way, it's a departure for U2, but it also quickly feels like a lost classic.

9.) Foo Fighters - "Something From Nothing"

- The Foos seemed to be men on a mission this year. They were everywhere. They saw themselves as the defenders of the holy name of rock, and their new album seems intent on cranking things up a notch and going decidedly heavy. "Something From Nothing" has an almost Sabbath-like feel, grinding away like it's a song with something to prove.

10.) "Weird" Al Yankovic - "First World Problems"

- All hail the Weird One. Al's latest album is rife with spot-on pop parodies, but the man has always been a rock n' roller at heart. First World Problems, a surprisingly rocking original song that pays stylistic homage to the Pixies, shows Al's rock bonafides. It's even got supporting vocals from Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls. And in addition to being a pretty rockin' tune, it's also a typically hilarious example of Al's warped observational humor. Basically, it sort of seals the deal: Weird Al friggin' rocks, dude.


OTHER TOP POP SONGS OF 2014:

1. Iggy Azalea - "Fancy"
2. Charli XCX - "Break the Rules"
3. Jennifer Lawrence - "The Hanging Tree - Alternative Radio Mix"