Top 10 Countdown: January 1, 2022

10. Like Pacific - Waste Of Breath
Last week: NEW!

9. Avril Lavigne - Bite Me
Last week: NEW!

8. Stand Atlantic - Molotov (Ok)
Last week: 9.

7. Silverstein - It's Over
Last week: 8.

6. As It Is - I Miss 2003
Last week: 7.

5. Meet Me @ The Altar - Now Or Never
Last week: 5.

4. Sunrise Skater Kids - Homeless Millennial
Last week: 4.

3. With Confidence - What You Make It
Last week: 3.

2. Nothing, Nowhere - Pieces Of You
Last week: 2.

1. Stereos - Hands Off You
Last week: 1.

Special: Ranking Disney+ Original MCU shows

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season thus far but we are not quite done yet. I've usually taken this time of year to talk about the baseball hall of fame ballot or to start off my year end lists. I'm not prepared to do the latter and I have a podcast that covers baseball, specifically the Toronto Blue Jays but we do lots over there MLB wide (www.anchor.fm/insidethedome) so baseball thoughts will likely stay there. But what we did get recently is a new Disney+ Marvel show in Hawkeye, the 5th that takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all of which that were released this year so I thought it would be fun to rank them based on how much I enjoyed them.

5. What If?

I'll be honest, I haven't finished What If? Maybe it's because it's a series of one offs instead of cohesive story telling? I'm not sure. When I watch it I do enjoy it it just hasn't been must see tv like the other 4 shows on this list have been despite being the only animated show, and animated expertly might I add at that.

4. Loki

I feel like Loki might have suffered most from the pandemic as there were several episodes that seems to just have Loki by himself or with one or two other people simply talking. I enjoyed the time authority reason for existing and the villain shown at the end but despite being excited to see Loki go solo, his storyline was pretty stale overall.

3. The Falcon & The Winter Soldier

This was a fantastic show and very nearly took the #2 spot but it just came up a little short. Doing a lot in only 6 episodes, this show not only deals with the financial toll of being a Superhero (Falcon) but also the mental toll it takes on your psyche, especially if you were brainwashed and did some regrettable things in the past (Winter Soldier). Oh also race in America is a big thing still in 2021, who knew?

2. Wandavision

Like I said, Wandavision and Falcon & Winter Soldier were very close. Ultimately it'd be easy enough to say Wandavision got an extra three episodes so that was the difference maker but the first three Wandavision episodes overall didn't do much for me, what it did do was keep me coming back for more to try to unravel the mystery at hand and once we got into normal MCU mode I was invested in following Wanda's journey of grief over Vision.

1. Hawkeye

I'm probably going to get a lot of hate here but I absolutely love this Hawkeye series. I will not speak specific spoilers but the way they combined another Marvel show into this one was brilliantly done and we still get the emotion from other series with Hawkeye and Yelena dealing with Natasha not being around anymore in their own ways. But overall this is based on the Fraction/Aja run of Hawkeye which has been my favourite Marvel Comics book of the last I dunno, 20 years? So yeah. Hawkeye definitely deserves this placement. Oh and I will also be watching this series every Christmas from here on out as this is essential viewing now.

Top 10 Countdown: December 25, 2021

10. Rain City Drive - Cutting It Close
Last week: NEW!

9. Stand Atlantic - Molotov (Ok)
Last week: 10.

8. Silverstein - It's Over
Last week: 9.

7. As It Is - I Miss 2003
Last week: 8.

6. Bring Me The Horizon - Die4u
Last week: 1.

5. Meet Me @ The Altar - Now Or Never
Last week: 6.

4. Sunrise Skater Kids - Homeless Millennial
Last week: 5.

3. With Confidence - What You Make It
Last week: 4.

2. Nothing, Nowhere - Pieces Of You
Last week: 3.

1. Stereos - Hands Off You
Last week: 2.

Special: Christmas CD 2021

2021 may have been a strange year overall but as much as things change some stay the same, hence we got a new What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree compilation for you as it's time for volume 13! The new album tracklisting is listed below as well as a mediafire link to go along with all past volumes. More of a Spotify guy? Well good news every song on one of these comps that is up on Spotify is in a handy playlist HERE and I also have a playlist of other music I tend to pull from for these comps right HERE

What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree? Volume 13:

1. Mayday Parade - I'm With You
2. Capital Lights - His Favourite Christmas Story
3. Butch Walker - Walking In A Winter Wonderland
4. Settle Your Scores - Xmas Exile
5. MxPx - Christmas Party
6. Reel Big Fish - Skank For Christmas
7. August Burns Red - Home Alone Theme
8. Golden Gate - Christmas Without You
9. BoyMeetsWorld - Home For The Holidays
10. Loveless & Downer Inc. - Last Christmas
11. Jaret & Kelly - Get Christmas Right
12. New Found Glory - Holiday Records
13. Descendants - Christmas Vacation
14. The Offspring - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
15. Janick Thibault - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
16. blink-182 - Boxing Day
17. Stellar Kart - Punk The Halls
18. Skatune Network - This Christmas
19. Simple Plan - Christmas Everyday
20. Green Day - Xmas Time Of Year

Link

What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree? Volume 12:

1. Dallon Weekes - Sickly Sweet Holiday
2. blink-182 - Not Another Christmas Song
3. Patent Pending - Jingle Bells Mazel Tov (Dreidel Song)
4. Bowling For Soup - Father Christmas
5. Relient K - Silver Bells
6. Senses Fail - Donde Esta Santa Claus
7. Story Untold - Silent Night
8. Butch Walker - Last Christmas
9. Jonas Brothers - Like It's Christmas
10. Dropkick Murphys - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
11. Goldfinger - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
12. New Found Glory - December's Here
13. We The Kings - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)
14. Reel Big Fish - Mele Kalikimaka
15. Taylor Swift - Christmases When You Were Mine
16. Good Charlotte - Let The World Be Still
17. Plain White T's - That Christmas Feeling
18. Dave Melillo - All I Want For Christmas Is You
19. MxPx - Punk Rawk Christmas
20. The Rocket Summer - O Holy Night

Link

What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree? Volume 11:

1. Aly & AJ - Greatest Time Of Year
2. Goldfinger - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
3. Echosmith - Baby Don't Leave Me (All Alone At Christmas)
4. Panic! At The Disco - Feels Like Christmas
5. Butch Walker - Frosty The Snowman
6. I Don't Know How But They Found Me - Merry Christmas Everybody
7. Set It Off - This Christmas (I'll Burn It To The Ground)
8. Creeper - Fairytale Of New York
9. Plain White T's - Do You Hear What I Hear
10. Patent Pending - A Better New Year
11. Fight Fair - Going Nowhere
12. Relient K - O Holy Night
13. Bowling For Soup - Miss You Most On Christmas
14. Taylor Swift - Christmas Must Be Something More
15. Carousel Kings - We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Auld Lang Syne
16. The Rocket Summer - Elf Creep
17. The Summer Set - This Christmas
18. Broadside - Wish List
19. MxPx Ft. Emily Whitehurst & Pierre Bouvier - December
20. Reel Big Fish - Whatever U Celebrate

Link

What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree? Greatest Hits Volume 1:

1. Anberlin - Baby Please Come Home
2. From The Top - Hot Chocolate Stains And Candy Canes
3. All Time Low - Fool's Holiday
4. A Change Of Pace - Christmas On The Coast
5. Plain White T's - Christmas Won't Be The Same Without You
6. Sunrise Skater Kids - 12 Days Of A Pop Punk Christmas
7. These Kids Wear Crowns Ft. Vital - You're My Mrs. Claus
8. Artist Vs. Poet - Airplanes And Candy Canes
9. Man Overboard - Decemberism
10. Unwritten Law Ft. Sum 41 - Unwritten Christmas
11. The Matches - December Is For Cynics
12. Relient K - Santa Claus Is Thumbing To Town
13. Divided By Friday - All I Want For Christmas Is You
14. The Summer Set - Love By Our Side
15. Bayside - Angels We Have Heard On High
16. Suckerpunch - This December
17. .fun. - Sleigh Ride
18. All These Lights - Christmas Wish
19. Hawk Nelson - Up On The Housetop
20. Good Charlotte - Last Christmas

Link

First 10 Volumes

Top 10 Countdown: December 18, 2021

10. Stand Atlantic - Molotov (Ok)
Last week: NEW!

9. Silverstein - It's Over
Last week: 10.

8. As It Is - I Miss 2003
Last week: 9.

7. Grayscale - Dirty Bombs
Last week: 1.

6. Meet Me @ The Altar - Now Or Never
Last week: 7.

5. Sunrise Skater Kids - Homeless Millennial
Last week: 6.

4. With Confidence - What You Make It
Last week: 5.

3. Nothing, Nowhere - Pieces Of You
Last week: 4.

2. Stereos - Hands Off You
Last week: 3.

1. Bring Me The Horizon - Die4u
Last week: 2.

Special: Deconstructing Simple Plan's "My Christmas List"

We got another holiday special for you kiddos. It has been 20 years since Simple Plan wrote and recorded their Christmas single "My Christmas List" which just hit digital streaming platforms this year (finally). But some of the lyrics have definitely aged so we're going to look at all the "wants" Pierre and the band list and see how they hold up as we enter 2022.

1. I want a car: This is a pretty safe bet to age well. There will likely always be some type of car. Had they of said "I want a Pontiac Sunfire" then we'd be cringing.

2. I want a life: The irony of "Welcome To My Life" being their biggest hit a few short years later. But yeah, the younger generation feels like they have no life outside of school and/or work so I'd say this aged pretty well too for them but as for 40+ year old Pierre and his generation I don't think they say "I want a life" often.

3. I want a first class trip to Hawaii: Yeah, who wouldn't want a sunny getaway in December? I feel this would apply to us older folks more but I'm sure young adults would dream of hooking up with some hula girls as well.

4. I want a lifetime supply of Skittles: Skittles are a classic. 40 year olds likely wouldn't want a lifetime supply for themselves but hey they make great gifts I'm sure. 

5. I want a lifetime supply of Slurpees: Slurpees are 7-11's version of Icee drinks. They are extremely popular, in Canada anyways, and I would absolutely love this at 32 as much as I would have at 18.

6. I want a lifetime supply of Eskimo pies: So I had to look up what this was, I never had a real one but I'm sure Canada has some knock off brands I've had but yeah "Eskimo" is a taboo term so this aged poorly as the company itself has changed the name to "Edy's Pies"

7. I want a DVD: People still buy DVD's for sure, but in the context of this song it's clear they meant DVD player just shortened it to DVD and I don't think anyone has bought a standalone DVD player out of the box in the last decade.

8. I want a big screen tv: Another ageless wonder by being vague. Had this of been "Widescreen TV" we'd have a big Oof as that was the thing of the future in the early 00's.

9: I want a girl in my bed (who knows what to do): The general idea of wanting a girl who knows what to do is okay in a vaccum but I dunno as a gift you want someone to bring/buy you seems either rapey or someone gifting you a prostitute which seems a little off to me.

10: I want a Playstation 2: We're over 1 year into the lifespan of the Playstation 5 so yeah. This is pretty old but hey at least they used a system made by a company still using the branding and making consoles. It could've been "Sega Dreamcast" or "Nintendo Gamecube".

11: I want a shopping spree in NYC: And to close it off another safe bet unless New York City becomes a dystopian city Mad Max style in our lifetime. That seems less likely than cars, tv's or 7-11's becoming obsolete though.

Top 10 Countdown: December 11, 2021

10. Silverstein - It's Over
Last week: NEW!

9. As It Is - I Miss 2003
Last week: 10.

8. Hot Milk - I Think I Hate Myself
Last week: 2.

7. Meet Me @ The Altar - Now Or Never
Last week: 8.

6. Sunrise Skater Kids - Homeless Millennial
Last week: 7.

5. With Confidence - What You Make It
Last week: 6.

4. Nothing, Nowhere - Pieces Of You
Last week: 5.

3. Stereos - Hands Off You
Last week: 4.

2. Bring Me The Horizon - Die4u
Last week: 3.

1. Grayscale - Dirty Bombs
Last week: 1.

Special: Ranking New Found Glory's "December's Here"

It's been over a year since I've last ranked an album and the last time I did was when NFG's self-titled album turned 20 in September 2020. Now they just recently released their first full length holiday album and since it is the season for Christmas specials on the blog thought this was a wonderful time to rank this. Normally I like to sit with an album longer before doing something like this but hey maybe it'll be a fun thing to go back on next year.

11. Santa Forgive Me

Although most of the tracks on this album are lyrically simple, harkening back to Christmas classics of the past with the guitars taking a back seat to the bass and drums, Santa Forgive Me is arguably the most simple and the least likely to come back to.

10. Christmas Card

Christmas Card just missed the bottom spot as instantly it was one of my least liked tracks on this album with it's repetitive lyrics but ultimately I gave it a nudge up for at least singing about something (finding the perfect Christmas card) that hasn't been done a million times before.

9. For Christmas Sake

The nostalgia is real on the closing track of this album. Harkening back to toys wanted as children of the 80's (He-Man and G.I. Joe among others) shows us the innocence Christmas brings out of people even as adults just simply looking back.

8. Snow

Lyrically Snow is likely one of, if not the strongest track on this record but this slow paced ballad doesn't do enough instrumentally to stand out among the other similar tracks here. It also has not been a favourite of mine being released back in 2014 but still not making it onto a volume of "What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree?" my annual Christmas comp. (shameless plug)

7. Nothing For Christmas

Speaking of my Christmas CD, Nothing For Christmas was featured way back on volume 6 and although it has been mixed slightly different on this album it's still basically the same song so it lands here in the middle of the tracklist ranking.

6. It Never Snows In Florida (Holiday Version)

The oldest song released on this album, the original version was featured on NFG's full length debut back in 1999 as a high octane pop-punk song. For the holidays it's an acoustic jam with jingle bells replacing the drum sounds. Never a big fan of the original this now works as a holiday jam with the new instrumentals.

5. Our First Christmas 

Okay so I may be a bit biased here. Our First Christmas has some of the tropes I complained about near the beginning of this list but my wife and I started dating around Christmas (December 2012) so it's just a bit sentimental to me and ultimately we want songs to make us feel something so that's why it cracks the top 5.

4. December's Here

The last of the pre-released songs is here at #4. December's Here was released last year to advertise the then upcoming NFG Christmas livestream. Again nostalgia plays an import role in talking about watching Home Alone and Elf many times and reciting all the quotes to fully get into the holiday season.

3. Somber Christmas

This track was used to announce the album and they couldn't have picked a better song to do so. The duality handled in the lyrics is equal parts sad (a devastating break-up) and happy (looking back on happy memories) makes you feel all at once.

2. Don't Fight It's Christmas

Don't Fight It's Christmas has the best hooks on this album, likely because it's sonically the closest to a straight up pop song on the record and I simply can not get enough of it. 

1. Holiday Records

Vinyl is all the rage so it's natural to flip through your loved ones vinyl collection to pull out any Christmas records you can wear out to get yourself in the holiday mood. Holiday Records is easily the standout on this album thus far. You can expect to see it on this year "What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree?" compilation.

Top 10 Countdown: December 4, 2021

10. As It Is - I Miss 2003
Last week: NEW!

9. Real Friends - Teeth
Last week: 3.

8. Meet Me @ The Altar - Now Or Never
Last week: 9.

7. Sunrise Skater Kids - Homeless Millennial
Last week: 8.

6. With Confidence - What You Make It
Last week: 7.

5. Nothing, Nowhere - Pieces Of You
Last week: 6.

4. Stereos - Hands Off Of You
Last week: 5.

3. Bring Me The Horizon - Die4u
Last week: 4.

2. Hot Milk - I Think I Hate Myself
Last week: 1.

1. Grayscale - Dirty Bombs
Last week: 2.