The Fairly KickAss Podcast

I admit: this is one of those episodes you have to hear to really understand what's going on. But I'm gonna try to describe it anyway, because that's kinda what this whole thing is for!So, as we've gone along with this podcast - six freakin' years, give or take! - we've had artists that have factored into things more than others. For you long-timers, you'll know one of these artists immediately, because he's Rule 1 - and that rule is Prince. If we had a mascot of sorts, it would be Mister Rogers... I mean Prince.But what about all the non-Prince artists we've talked about over the years? The ones we've covered extensively? The ones we love and adore? The ones that all three of us can confidently say are an integral part of this show, and that the show would not be the same without them?That's what this episode is about. We take all those artists, and - with the power of us three jerks - we come up with our Mount Rushmore list of four (plus Prince, so technically five... SUE US.)FINE, so I really could describe it. SUE US AGAIN. Litigious much? I digress.It turned out to be a fun episode in a vacuum, but also a lovely walk down memory lane. So come walk with us, specifically to all of our socials... hope it's not too long of a walk to get to all these lovely places!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We go meta with a Vaulted episode that was mentioned during this episode. Will the artist in the Vaulted episode be one of the four? Who knows. Actually, I take that back: we know. We ALSO know that you must Keep. Kicking. Ass.

We've exhausted the entirety of the "First Quarter" category on the Wikipedia "List of 2026 Albums" page, and we've gone through the same amount of charting singles.(That's 25%, if you're a NERD who does NUMBERS.)So... yeah! This thing. This thing is our monthly reviews thing, where we review the monthly stuff. I mean, I just don't know how else we can say it after all this time! J and Zack rank new albums, and Dan ranks new charting singles, and a good time is had by all.I know you're expecting a "...and then excitement happens!", to which I regret to inform you that, no, there is none of that sort of thing here. No fun, no whimsy, no japes or ribs. We don't shenan once, and we definitely don't shenanigan.But we DO do (heh) some social media stuff. To wit:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We look within at the meta of FKA. Does that sound dumb? It's probably gonna be dumb. You know the deal by now. And WE know that you must Keep. Kicking. Ass.

(updates in bold)It's Part 2 of the Hall, y'all!The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio, is open to the public, but that doesn't mean you can just waltz in and be enshrined. No, you must be voted in by a group of industry experts with over a thousand members, and one of those members are representative of everyone who is NOT a member of that group of industry experts.Got all that again? Good.The 2026 Hall of Fame class has been narrowed down to 17 maybes, which will be further narrowed down to some number of actual entrants into the Hall. How many, you ask? An amount! That's how many. (If you couldn't tell by now, the game is made up and the points don't matter.) (Also, you knew all this from before. If this is news to you, go back and put your ears on Part 1 first! Then report back.)In the second part of the rare FKA two-parter, we tell you (this was a typo fix, sry) who we feel has the best chance of the 17 to get in, who probably won't be enshrined, and how our thoughts stack up to the fan vote. Let me tell you, the fan vote is a WILD ride, which is all I'll say.Actually, I lied! I will say more. For instance, I will say that you can hit us up in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: March... pre-showers? Clouds, I guess? We do music, not weather. We also make sure that you Keep. Kicking. Ass.

It's the Hall, y'all!The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio, is open to the public, but that doesn't mean you can just waltz in and be enshrined. No, you must be voted in by a group of industry experts with over a thousand members, and one of those members are representative of everyone who is NOT a member of that group of industry experts.Got all that? Good.The 2026 Hall of Fame class has been narrowed down to 17 maybes, which will be further narrowed down to some number of actual entrants into the Hall. How many, you ask? An amount! That's how many. (If you couldn't tell by now, the game is made up and the points don't matter.)In the rare FKA two-parter, we who we feel has the best chance of the 17 to get in, who probably won't be enshrined, and how our thoughts stack up to the fan vote. Let me tell you, the fan vote is a WILD ride, which is all I'll say.Actually, I liked! I will say more. For instance, I will say that you can hit us up in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We find out who shot JR! And we find out which of y'all is a super-old boomer for understanding that reference. Boomer or Zoomer, we appreciate all of you! So join us for Part 2 next week, and until then, Keep. Kicking. Ass.

What has 100 songs, and two different Justin Biebers at the top of it?If you guessed "the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 2016 chart?", then, um, that's oddly-specific (which could be an FKA spin-off one day). But yeah, that is this.We correct the rankings of the oft-misguided year-end charts, because, I'm sorry, it's just wrong. We've done a bunch of these, and they're never right. They're never even close to being right.And we did something about it.Is it better now? There are two answers to that question: "it's absolutely, unequivocally NOT better", and "I'd like to answer that question over social media, in all the usual ways". What a segue, Hypothetical You!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We finally did the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. We called the episode a "minisode", which, as you already guessed, means that it was so long that it had to be split into two.So enjoy the first part of our Hall of Fame-stravaganza, and always remember to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Took this long before almost typing "2025". Pretty good run if you ask me.February 2026 reviews are here! We did them, and now you can hear them. From our mouths to your ears, that's the KickAss slogan that we all know and love. Yep, this bad boy keeps on hummin' along. [Picture us firmly patting the podcast as if it were a very sturdy car. You know the way. We would call it ol' something-or-other. You're picturing it, and I appreciate you for that.]Did we nail it? Did we have a good list of new albums? Did we do justice to the newly-charting singles? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We lied last time: no RNRHOFWTFBBQ... yet. Instead, it's a Billboard Rerank! Yay! We will absolutely do the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame dealio in the very near future. Until then, just know that all the nominee artists Kick. Ass... and you do too.

Short write-up for this one to get it out the door, because we are in episode arrears like a mug. (SIDE NOTE: can we bring back "like a mug"? It was the best. I digress, in what was supposed to be a "short write-up".)Life happened, and work happened, and A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF HAPPENED THAT WE DON'T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH TIME TO SCRATCH THE SURFACE OF. If you exist in the world at large, then you have a good idea already.It's been scary, it's been exhausting, it's been a million other emotions. (I know, I know, this was supposed to be short, sorry.) And, as I suspect some of your own schedules may have been thrown off a tad, our posting schedule was too.But we're here, and we have a fun one for you, as we talk all about B-sides, From back when singles were on physical media! Do you believe it?There were actual sides to music, kids. We discuss the side that is supposed to be the side that no one cares about... and yet, in many cases, went on to be bigger than the corresponding A-side. It was an unexpectedly eye-opening journey.But it's dangerous to go alone! Take this... opportunity to let us know if there were any B-sides that we missed that you really love, in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: RNRHOFWTFBBQ. We talk about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees for the 2026 class, covering who's in, who's out, and who's on the bubble. Some real Joe Lunardi-type stuff.You know what you'll never be on the bubble of? Kicking Ass. All of you are #1 seeds in that category.Once again: "short write-up".

The 68th Grammys (almost nice). They happened! They sure did happen. Lots of them - 95, to be exact. We should talk about them, being a music podcast and all. And we do! All 95 of them, minus 85.(To be faiiiiiiiiir, the actual broadcast only showed 9 awards, and we talk about 10. Yes, we have already referenced this. Yes, we will probably reference this again. Eat it, Recording Academy.)We hit the big four (Recod of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist), along with six other categories near and dear to us - two a piece. There was quite the wide range of discussion... do you like Samara Joy? What about Anoushka Shankar or Turnstile? They all get a shout-out in the ep, along with many, many others.But who cares what we think? WE care what YOU think. Let us know who deserved to take home awards, who didn't deserve it, and which categories you want us to cover during the nice Grammys next year, in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: An unintended week off, and then the opposite of what all of you are. (Hint: each and every one of you is an A-side.)And we know that all you A-sides will always be showing off your best side, especially while you Keep. Kicking. Ass.

The ceremonial first Monthly Reviews ep of the year! It's like a first pitch in baseball, only there's no baseball... or home plate... or field you know what, I miscalculated, that was on me.But a Monthly Reviews ep by any other name would smell as sweet, as the great William Shakespeare said, or - if you're tight with him like I am - Willy Shakes. He likes that name. Give it a try next time you see him.It's the usual drill: J and Zack go over their top three albums of the month, Dan hits all the best and worst newly charting singles in the Billboard Top 40, we talk about some outliers, and call it a day.It's fun! Oh please let it be fun, otherwise I don't know what we're even doing here. I guess that one is up to all of you though... is it fun? Are WE fun? Did you have fun with any new music in January? Let us know in the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: A perhaps slightly-late discussion of those music awards. You know the ones. They come along every year, and yet somehow, someway, we forgot about them this time around. We'll make up for it and move on though!And we hope all of you move on to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Ugh.We listened to a LOT of Maroon 5 for this episode.We listened to TOO MUCH Maroon 5 for this episode.We made it out the other end, but definitely worse for wear. And yet, these are the lengths that we will go to for all of you, dear listeners.It's our second-ever Greatest Sh**s episode, where we take an oft-panned band and put together a sort of "greatest hits" release, consisting of one song from each of their albums.In the process, we try to determine if they deserve the ire that they've received over time. Nickelback was first, because of course they were, but Maroon 5 felt like a good follow-up. Which... I guess it kinda was?We regretted our choice immediately, but we pushed through 8 albums and 99 tracks - along with another 11 songs on their first album, when they were known as Kara's Flowers. We talked about all of this, with the energy of a halibut that somehow found its way into a non-Newtonian fluid.(Trust me, that sentence was the most interesting part of this discography, and by extension, this episode.)So I guess if you really want to, you can let us know on the socials whether our picks were proper, or if there are other songs that you would go with instead for these albums:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: Something much, MUCH more exciting. We're still working on what that is, and as soon as we know, you'll know. You know?Until then, Keep. Kicking. Ass.

On today's episode, we're gonna talk about a band that has went through several bad band names (shout-out Tom McGovern) in their early years, including Sigma 6, The Meggadeaths, The Abdabs, The Screaming Abdabs, The Spectrum Five, Tea Set, and Leonard's Lodgers (the band lived in a flat owned by Mike Leonard in their early years).Thank goodness founding member and initial frontman Syd Barrett had two specific Blues albums in his collection: one by South Carolina's Pink Anderson, and the other from North Carolina's own Floyd Council.What followed was 15 studio albums, spanning nearly fifty years from 1967 to 2014, as well as 250 million claimed record sales worldwide. Finally, a good band name for legendary English band, and the subject of this here One Song, Pink Floyd.For those who don't know the drill yet, here it is: we get a discography. We pick the best song in the discography. We have two minutes to convince all of you that each of us is correct.Easy, right? Well, sometimes it's easier than others, but this wasn't one of those times. There was a LOT of meat on this particular bone, and all of it was succulent and well-seasoned. (I'm hungry, sorry.)But we still have to do The Thing™, and do The Thing™ we did! Come join us in our quest to find One Pink Floyd song to rule them all, one song to find them, one song that had roast beef, one song that... wait, I got off track. How about some socials instead, if you would like to tell us what you think the One Song truly is for Pink Floyd?Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: A lot of Adam Levine. Some of y'all may have feelings about his body of work. We do for sure, and we're excited to share those feelings.And we hope that all of your are excited to share some Ass Kickings with the world, and then to Keep doing it.

Remember when Henry is doing all the intros in Goodfellas, and he comes across Jimmy Two-Times? The guy who says "I'm gonna get the papers, get the papers"? That guy.This episode is basically that guy. Lemme explain.To kick off the year properly, we're taking a time-honored theme - one-hit wonders - and adding MOAR. One MOAR, to be exact, to bring the number of hits to two (ahh-ahh-ahhhh).There are a million-billion-fufillion examples of one hit wonders, so two-hit wonders should be just as easy... right? Well, about that: it wasn't. We had some guardrails in place to make sure we stayed on-course, which some of us followed more faithfully than others... but ultimately, we did come up with three solid lists.But what about all of you? Do you have a wonder of two hits that you would like to share with the class? (if it wasn't clear, WE are the class)Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: One Song to rule them all! And considering that we're talking about a sort of prog band from the 1960s/1970s, it's a fair analogy to use. Altho it's not that band... it's the other one. That should be a dead giveaway.You know what YOU should give away? Your Ass Kickings. And then Keep doing it. Hell yeah.

That's it for 2025. Anotehr year of Kicking Ass in the books. This episode gives it a nice little bow on top, as we cover our favorite albums and songs from the entire year. And then we wipe the slate clean and do it all over again!It was a fantastic year in music, and a fantastic year to be a steward of this Good Ship KickAss. All of you make this awesome, every single year, and we want to say thank you! Serioualy, all of you are the very best listeners we could ask for.How was the year in music for all of you? What did you like? Artists, albums, songs, events? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: A break. We'll be back the following week with our first episode of 2026. Big things on the horizon from us. Very exciting stuff.And for one more time as 2025 ends around the world, we remind you, this coming year, and in every year, to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Happy Holidays, Ass-Kickers! This is an episode that we originally released in December of 2022... over three years ago, sheesh. We gave you our work-up on holiday standards last week (go check it out if you haven't yet), and this week we're going more modern. These are ones that you probably won't find playing at your local department store, or on the tinny speakers at the family get-together that you're taking in. But they're all lovely jams all the same.We'll keep this brief and let you get to the episode - but as always, let us know what you think in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: Say goodby to 2025! It's our End-of-Year-Stravaganza, with a special guest host to boot. You can't be mad at that.You know what else you can't be mad at? Kicking. Ass. That's what.

There's no place like KickAss for the holidays - and that's exactly what we're gonna be talking about here. Specifically, those standards that you hear - on the radio, in the supermarket, walking down the street in some cases. How did those songs come to be "standards", anyway? Which ones were written in the 19th century - or earlier - and which are less than 100 years old? And what does the future hold for holiday standards?Thankfully, we have answers to all those questions and more in this Vibes episode. We vibe. We talk. We chat. No structure, no lists, no BS. Just vibes.Did you vibe with the episode? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: An FKA rewind! We gave you the holiday standards, and next week we'll give you the unique, the weird, the fun.You know what else is fun? YOU are. Keep being fun, and Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Hi! KickAss here. This is our Billboard Rerank/Rerack/Reorder episode type... call it any/all of the above, or anything else that you'd like!The premise is simple: we take the Billboard Year-End chart for a given year - this episode was 2003, which was admittedly less than ideal - and we update the ranking to what is correct. And by "correct", we mean each of our three hosts' versions of correct. That's a lot of correctness, I tell you hwhat.TBut enough about us! It's time to talk about you. Namely, how you can talk to us - preferably about us:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We finally kick off our holiday episodes, starting with a discussion on what makes a holiday standard. Old? New? Borrowed or blue? We'll cover a great many of them.But until then, we will be sure to cover when you Keep. Kicking. Ass.

We regret to inform you, KickAss Faithful, that there were gremlins afoot.The previous episode, as you may already know, was either posted, or maybe was unposted, or there was a glitch in the matrix... I don't know. It's weird. It's all weird.This episode - our November 2025 album and charting single reviews - was also probably impacted by gremlins, and definitely not by just being late to post it. That would be weird. Blame the gremlins, please.While you're at it, drop us a line and tell us how much you hate those pesky buggers for messing with this lovely podcastBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: Billboard. Rerank. 2023. It was a rough year for the charts, and we'll tell you all about it. Right after we tell you to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

We regret to inform you, KickAss Faithful, that there are gremlins afoot.(No, unfortunately this isn't how we tell all of you that we somehow secured a partnership with Chris Columbus, Steven Spielberg, and Warner Bros., for the upcoming Gremlins movie, releasing November 19th, at a theater near you!) (Yes, we are actively trying to pursue this very partnership.) (No, it's not going well.)You might have seen this episode out in the wild already, because, as far as we know, it was already posted. Whyfore is it not posted now? Please see above for discussion of gremlins. But all that matters is that it's here now, for as long as it's here, before it's not. If it ever was. Ugh, maybe we'll have to cut down on the late night McDonald's runs for the lil guys.Since this is a sort of repost, I'll keep it brief: each of us takes a #1 song and talks about it. #1 on any chart, in any country, on any planet. It's been Earth so far, but will it always be Earth? Hard to say.What's much easier to say is the names of all of these social media accounts, since it's the same exact name for each, that being @fairlykickass! Seriously, check out how good we did with our brand synergy:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: Last review of the year! Only a month or so of Kicking. Ass. left for 2025, but you can't stop now: you gotta Keep. doing it.

We confessed again!Musically!!That's right, our critically-unacclaimed episode type, Musical Confessions, is getting another go-round. For those who didn't catch the first one from back in July of 2025, let me paint the scene for you: each of us poop-for-brains hosts went around and told a music-y thing. A statement, a story... anything. The rub: it may or may not have been true. It was up to the other two hosts to suss out the lies and hitch their wagons to the truths.Same deal again, but with another batch from Dan, J, and Zack. Are we telling the truth? Are we full of the aforementioned poop?I'm not tellin'. You gotta listen. Sorry.And once you listen, let us know what you think about our, uhhh, things. How, you wonder? Observe:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: Ones. Lots of ones. Three of them, at least. Is that "lots"? I dunno, I just write the things. And you just Keep. Kicking. Ass.

BOO!!!!Did I sc-oh heck, it's November now. Plus we did that same thing last week. Going to the well too many times? Can't be us. I digress.This is the Unsung, where we talk about folks that don't typically get talked about. We discuss influential people in the music industry whose popularity and acknowledgement doesn't always match their accomplishments and contributions. And Maestro David Kyle is no exception.To be faiiiiiir, there's not necessarily a Maestro-ing board. There's no governing body, no application to fill out, no professional development or continuing education credits to maintain your Maestro certification. It's a pretty sweet deal.And, in this case, it's a fitting title, considering what David Kyle did as a vocal instructor for many uniquely talented - and just downright unique - artists. We wove our way through a number of them, across different genres and styles, but all sharing the distinction of being awesome - and all sharing the disctinction of working directly with Kyle.But don't take our word for it! Take a listen to the ep instead, and let us know how you feel about the vocalists we mentioned - or if you have other examples of vocal coaches or instructors helping artists reach the next level. Hitting us up is simple! Observe:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: I'm gonna level with you: not sure. That's another straight copy from last week, but it fits this time too. We'll figure somethingout, like we always do. Until then, Keep. Kicking. Ass.

BOO!!!!Did I scare ya? I don't need to ask, of course I didn't. I'm sorry for wasting your time trying to tie this review to a nearby holiday. It was a mistake, and I regret the error.You know what I DON'T regret? These October reviews. That's not to say that things was great though. It was a solid, if mostly unimpressive, month on the album front. And the newly-charting singles were nearly all from one album. You know the one.*We got one more month of reviews for the year, and then we shelve this particular feature until we cover January 2026 reviews. But fear not! There are plenty of other features to tide you over in the meantime.But we still need to hear from you. How was your October? What music - new or old - was in your ears this month? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: I'm gonna level with you: not sure. We have a few options in front of us, and I'm not sure which one we'll go with. But you'll be among the first to know, as long as you follow us wherever you get your podcasts.And no matter what nonsense we come out with, we're still gonna need every one of you to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Over 75 million record sales worldwide.32 total awards spread out across the biggest of 'em all in the UK - the Brit awards - as well as yearlies handed out on behalf of UK music magazines NME and Q.10 successful tours, spanning the world over several times - including tour dates every year between 1994 and 2009 (with the execptions of 2004 and 2007).Responsible for the first billion-stream song on Spotify from the 1990s - a song that still remains in the list of 100 most streamed songs of all time on the platform.A nomination to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which didn't come through this year, but I doubt it'll be long before it does.With all those accolades, there's still one thing that Manchester's finest, Oasis, didn't have... and that's a Fairly KickAss episode....until now.We decided to do a One Song for the band, to find the best song in a seven-album discography. Guest host to the stars, Lisa, was kind enough to grace us with her presence as well. As the only true Oasis fan of the lot of us, she brought some awesome perspective, and of course a great song choice.But was her choice the best? What about the other three jerks? Let us know what you think in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: The penultimate monthly review of 2025. The last one before the start of the holiday season. Get your shopping done early, people!I would ask y'all to buy some KickAss gifts for the people that you love and care for... but that's a given, because they're coming from all of you. You Keep. Kicking. Ass, and your gifts do too. <3

I'm keeping this description short, because no matter how many words, or how big of language I use, I could never be as grandiose and over-the-top as hair metal is. It was a huge sound, made by huge personas, and delivered to huge audiences.We may be a few decades removed here in 2025, but the music still rings true - and we give it the ol' Mt. Rushmore treatment.It was one of the more interesting podcast results for one of these dealios, based on the songs we all picked.But jeez Jouise I'm getting ahead of myself! I said short, and short it is. As always, let us know what you thought, and whether we missed a song - or even an entire artist - here:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: A little necessary business to tidy up, as we move closer to the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Which is all well and good, because we know who the real Hall of Famers are. (spoiler: it's y'all) And as HoFers, you know damn well that you gotta Keep. Kicking. Ass.

So we did a Billboard Rerank episode, where we reranked the Billboard End-of-Year chart to be more accurate to what is objectively correct. Because we know these things.We did 1990. Holy moly, 1990 was a year. Bangers, ballads, unexpected tracks from all genres. It truly was the sort of crossroads for the end of the 1980s, and what would come years later in the 90s.You know a lot of these songs, and perhaps there are some new favorites on this list? Only one way to find out.Well, two ways, I suppose. You could listen to the list yourself, or you could just ask us! I'm not sure how we can tell you what your new favorites are, but we'll try! And if we can't do that, then we'll send you a funny gif that we may or may not have lifted from Reddit.Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We goodmouth a band that has been badmouthed throughout the years. We'll probably also badmouth them a bit. That's just how this thing goes.We would never badmouth you though, listeners! Because you all Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Oh hey! It's a little something I like to call "The Fairly KickAss Podcast". Ever heard of it?And to that end, have you ever heard of Max Martin?You may not realize that you are already acutely familiar of him, at least through his songwriting and production work.Early 2000s darlings like The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, and Bon Jovi? Check. Big artists of today, like Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Coldplay, The Weeknd, and Lisa of Blackpink? Double-check. Most recently worked on Taylor Swift's latest full-length, The Life of a Showgirl.This episode is an Unsung episode, in which we talk about those influential folks in the music industry that you may not be familiar with, and I'd say that Max qualifies. From his upbringing in Stockholm County, Sweden, to his initial dabblings in the music industry, I (Zack - your Unsung host for this ep!) give all y'all the skinny.This is also a Rewind episode that we pulled out of the ol' Vault, and in that brief time - from March of 2023 to now - Martin has added three more Billboard #1 singles to his already-ridiculous list of 25, bringing the sum total to 28. Paul McCartney has written 32. John Lennon has written 26. That's your top three.Top three all time, of everyone! Safe to say, Max knows his way around a hit song, and I'm stoked to be able to bring his particular brand of songwriting magic to all of you. Again, as it were.As always, let us know what you think! Which #1 hits that Max Martin wrote are your favorites? Which artists that he worked with do you also vibe with? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We talk about the dawn of a new decade! Albeit a decade that was new like 35 years ago.You know what's NOT new? You. Kicking. Ass. That's been happening for a long while now. I lost track of how long, that's how long it's been.

It's the "30 Days" month! You know the rhyme. You've recited the rhyme to yourself, perhaps during the month of September. Does it have anything to do with music?Does it ever?As usual, I digress. It's best albums. It's newly-charting singles. It's a LOT of Sabrina Carpenter. It's the hand that was dealt, as most of her most recent album, Man's Best Friend, charted. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I guess you'll have to listen to find out! (it was a pretty good album, I'll give you that breadcrumb.)Bread to the side, we always want to hear from you. Was it a good month of listening for you? Hell, what were you listening to full stop - even if it wasn't new? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We talk about the dawn of a new decade! Albeit a decade that was new like 35 years ago.You know what's NOT new? You. Kicking. Ass. That's been happening for a long while now. I lost track of how long, that's how long it's been.

Oh heck, the game is on! I better make this quick.Which game, you ask? Any of them! Take your pick. With so many beloved sports, that have been around for so long, fandom is a time-honored tradition. And a time-honored sort of sub-tradition is that of the tailgate. The literal meaning evokes imagery of the open tailgate of a pickup truck, playing the part of buffet table much better than anything else you might find at a random parking lot.Nowadays, it's a whole production - actual tables, along with all manner of cooking devices, cooling devices (for food and person), and maybe a TV or a radio to keep up with pre-game festivities. The concept is most commonly associated with American football, but could apply to any sport in the same way.But, regardless of the sport, or the spread, there's one thing I didn't mention: music. It's as integral to a tailgate as it is to any gathering. And you know us - if music is involved, we're involved. (New motto?!?)We get in, talk about our Top 5 tailgating jams, and get out. All three of us approached the assignment in vastly different ways. You're shocked, I know. That is your shocked face.But how would you have approached it, Dear Listener? Would you have gone with one of our paths, but using a different list? Or would you have thought up completely different criteria? Let us know what you thought in the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: Do you remember? Because we don't. September has been a BLUR, but we gotta talk about it, and we hope you listen to that episode next week! And this episode this week! And previous episodes in prev-look, just listen to all of 'em. They're all good.You know what else is good? When you Keep. Kicking. Ass, that's what.

To say that Joni Mitchell is one of the most influential songwriters, singers, and guitarists in the history of modern music is not hyperbolic. In fact, it's among the most truthful and least BS-based things we've said on this show.I believe we've said this about others before, but it applies here as well: Joni Mitchell recorded standards, sure, but she herself IS a standard. Legend. 1 of 1. Folk music was not nearly the same prior to her first album, 1968's Song to a Seagull, and it was forever changed throughout her run of 19 studio albums (and one day growing to 20, hopefully). She has left an indelible mark on the face of music.And, as we tend to do 'round these parts, we celebrated her. Since this is a Coverlutions episode, you know that we talked about one of her songs. Interestingly, this song was never a single - in fact, it was the B-side to a different song from its album, being California off of 1971's Blue.But that didn't stop scores and scores of people from covering the song over the past 50+ years. And for good reason: A Case of You is absolutely magnificent. It's subtle, it's understated, it's meaningful, and it's beautiful.As for the episode, we came equipped with eight different covers, ready to do battle with the other hosts. We went in a round, sharing our versions with each other; any overlaps would be crossed out. Whoever had songs left at the end won nothing, in typical FKA fashion. It was neat.As always though, we need you to tell us what you thought. Was it actually neat? Was there a version that we didn't cover that you liked better than what we presented? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: hang out in the parking lot of your favorite team, fire up your portable grill, and put on these songs before the big game. It's tailgating songs. I kinda gave that one away. That's my bad. That's on me.You know what you should give away? Ass kickings. Because you should Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Is three too many new episode types for one year? Because that's what we're bringing to the table.Two words: Greatest Sh**s. (You can fill in the blanks. I believe in you.) The premise is this: we take an artist that is seen by a wide group of people - including some or all of us jerk hosts - as not being great. Critically panned. Goofed on.You can certainly think of some immediately, as could we... but there was always going to be one artist that we dissected as the subject of the first episode. Chances are, it's an artist you thought of as you read this.Tbat artist is none other than Nickelback.Once we had the artist nailed down, the goal was simple: build a sort of "greatest hits" album, spanning their entire discography. One song per album. We couldn't skip albums; rather, we had to pick one song from every single full-length release, to make up our Greatest Sh**s album.Sure, we're covering powerhouse albums such as Silver Side Up and All the Right Reasons. We're also covering far less popular releases, like Curb and Feed the Machine. No stone is left unturned, no sh** left ungreatened. Ew. Sorry.But how did we do? Was Nickelback deserving of our ire in the first place? Did we find the diamonds in the very, very rough? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: hang out in the parking lot of your favorite team, fire up your portable grill, and put on these songs before the big game. It's tailgating songs. I kinda gave that one away. That's my bad. That's on me.You know what you should give away? Ass kickings. Because you should Keep. Kicking. Ass.

I apparently love August, at least inasmuch as what the "food months" are for August, according to Wikipedia. I haven't looked at other months, so I may love them all - food do be like that, after all. But here's what we were working with in August:National Catfish Month, National Dippin' Dots Month, Family Meals Month, National Goat Cheese Month, National Panini Month, Peach Month, Sandwich Month.All of the above, please. Maybe not the dippin' dots... let's just double up on the goat cheese instead. But the rest are solid.What was I... OH! August reviews. Yes. We review August. Albums, newly-charting singles, the works. And by "the works", I mean "specifically the two things that I pointed out before I said 'the works'". Words are hards.As always though, our words are only as good as you'll allow them to be. So what do you allow from our lists? What did you like, and what would you replace our albums and charting singles with if you could? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: a terrible thing. It involves a lot of Nickelback, and we hated it, and we can only hope that you hate it slightly less than we did.Until then, make sure to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

When we write up these descriptions, we love to give you some funny insight, some witty repartee, some... something. However, when the thing does exactly what it says on the tin, it's tough.Enter: this week's REWIND episode, straight out of our vault, originally posted on September 27, 2023. The episode title is "Top 5 Happy-Sounding Sad Songs". And... yeah. That's pretty much it right there. The songs are sad lyrically, but if you don't listen closely enough they sound happy to the ear. That's the thing. I can't tell you more, as there's no more to tell.What I CAN tell you, however, is that there were some surprises here! Some unexpected songs that ended up being real bummers, some popular songs with deeper meanings, and tons of fun to be had talking about absolute downer after downer. It's what we signed up for, nearly two years ago from where we sit now, but... damn.Did we get it right back then? Is it any more right or wrong now than it was in 2023? Let us know in all the usual ways, and think for a minute about how a word as short as "usual" has two u's in it, like really what the hell is up with that:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: August reviews! But for real, since our last description also mentioned August reviews and was very wrong. Will it stack up to the powerhouse that was July? We still don't know! Well, we know, but you will still have to tune in to find out.And until then, make sure to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

John, Paul, George, and Ringo?Not today.Instead, let's go with John Paul (that's one guy), John, Jimmy, and Robert.We One Song'd the HELL out of one of the most legendary bands of all time. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? First ballot, of course. An entry on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, from 2003? Try five... along with six songs on the Greatest Songs list from 2004. GQ Men of the Year from 2008, for what that's worth. Oddly, only one Grammy - for live album Celebration Day, released in 2012, over 30 years after the band's breakup. Let's call that a miss from the Recording Academy.And, most importantly, one song that can be considered their very best work. 1 of 1. The top of Mount Zeppmore (analogy not to be confused with our Rush episodes, which you can also find wherever you get your ass kicked).Yes, we tell you exactly which song we feel is the best of their catalog. We made our cases throughout the episode, and as always, it's up to all of you to tell us who was right... or were none of us right? Let us know the correct answer to the question of best Led Zeppelin song of all time, in all the usual ways:But we're not here to drop insider tennis terms on you: we're here to talk about music. And in this episode, our years were J with 1988, Dan with 2004, and Zack bringing up the rear (front, I guess?) with 2023.Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: August reviews! Will it stack up to the powerhouse that was July? Tune in to find out.And until then, make sure to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Ah, SomeOnes. That time-honored tradition that we have tradished only once before, but traditions gotta start somewhere, right? ...right?The premise is simple in its complexity: each of us (Dan, J, and Zack, your KickAss Krew) get a randomly-generated year before the show. We then have to find a song that hit #1 on a chart (thus the name!), and write about it. That's it. That's the sum total of the guardrails that we have.Which chart? All of 'em. Which country even? All of 'em. What do we have to write about our song of choice? Literally anything.We go in a few directions, as you can guess, but that's part of the fun! Because really, this podcast is about expecting the unexpected, and if you don't even know what to expect, then you don't know what to unexpect either. Game. Set. Win.But we're not here to drop insider tennis terms on you: we're here to talk about music. And in this episode, our years were J with 1988, Dan with 2004, and Zack bringing up the rear (front, I guess?) with 2023.How did we do with our assignments? Would you have picked a different song from a different chart for a different reason? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: TBD. We're taking our time and casually figuring out which direction to go, but as soon as we know, you'll know.Luckily, you already know what else you should know: and that's to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

I feel like, the more we do this podcast, the quicker things come back around. Like Monthly Reviews: we just did those a few days ago! Or so it seems. In reality, the reviews for June were posted on July 9th, which is about a month ago, which makes perfect sense. And yet... it feels so recent.Maybe this podcast is aging, right alongside us. Maybe this podcast is no longer "hip" with all the "lingo". Maybe this podcast longs for a better time, a simpler time, a time when Justin Bieber wasn't hogging a good percentage of the Billboard Hot 100.In a way, we're ALL this podcast.Thankfully, besides Bieber's Swag (the album, not the personality trait), the rest of the month was pretty solid! Dan has much to say about all the newly-charting top 40 singles, and J and Zack both hit you with the best albums of the month.But we didn't listen to everything, and certainly missed out on some gems. So let us have it in the comments for overlooking one of your favorite artists/albums/songs:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We transport you all back to 1988, 2004, and 2023 - all at the same time. Eat your sometimes-poisoned heart out, Erwin Schrödinger.But instead of that, all of YOU should eat a snack! And then you should Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Beats?Beats??BEATS???Beats.Beats is good.[nods]Yes, I ripped that dumb bit off of The Road to El Dorado... because it's a good bit! And it describes perfectly what we're talking about today, being beats.We listened to them... we istened to a LOT of them, in fact... and then we ranked them, in our usual way. It was one of the more fun listening journeys that we've been down, and the outcome was awesome too. We had some similar stuff of course, some overlapping picks, and some stuff that was only on one of our lists. Many of the producers that you know and love were represented.But did we miss any? Did we get any wrong, or leave any out? Let us know what you think!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: July Reviews! They're like Yelp Reviews, but we make far less money than Yelp does. You know what's never gonna cost a dime though? That's you, having the ability to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

2001: a year where a LOT of stuff changed. A year that we could talk about, for hours on end, and never once scratch the surface of music. But, despite how important the other historical things were, we absolutely have to scratch. Because our random number generator fell here, and we can't say no to a good ol' RNG.Specifically, that RNG gave us the year to take the year-end Billboard chart, and to fix it, because it's oh so wrong. Your three hosts always agree that the original list is wrong-wrong-wrong-wrong, wrong-wrong-wrong-wrong... it's wrong.But we haven't really had a year much like this, where we have match after match on our lists, KickAss synergy after KickAss synergy. It was unsettling. I hope you're unsettled....but not too unsettled to hit us up on socials and let us know what you think!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: the beat goes on, and the beat goes on... and we don't even have to tell you that Kicking. Ass. also goes on. Because you already know what it do. (It Kicks Ass. We just established that.)

**NEW EPISODE TYPE ALERT****NEW EPISODE TYPE ALERT**Tell all your friends! The KickAss Krew is back with another pilot episode. We're calling this one Musical Confessions, and the concept is simple: each host comes to the show with an odd, interesting, or generally against-the-grain take in the world of music. It's something that they feel is true... unless it isn't, and it's a total lie.Who can say? Well, the othe hosts can. They ask questions to try and suss out any mistruths, or to verify that the take has actually been taken by the host in question. The hosts who aren't presenting will then vote on whether they think that it's true or not, after which the big reveal happens. The hosts who were right on their guesses get a point, and if a hosts stumps everyone, they get a point too. Most points at the end get one of the hosts saying "you won the most points" to them. If you're familiar with the Popular British show, Would I Lie To You... it's basically that. If you're NOT familiar, then go watch it because it's an absolute hoot.Now, we always wanna know what you think of an ep, but with this being a new ep we really wanna know. So let us know how you feel about it!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: a space odyssey! I think! I didn't read the schedule too closely, so I'm going with it.And the only place you need to go is wherever you can Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Yikes. Big yikes.Let it be known that we tried to make something out of June for these here monthly reviews, but it was tough. For once, all three of us had a super-mid month, with very few great newly-charting singles or albums to speak of. Not much more to say about it... at least not for us. But perhaps YOU have something to say! Maybe? Possibly?Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: a new thing! Musical Confessions. We're going to confess music... whatever that means. Look, we haven't ironed it out completely yet, but trust me when I say that it will be one of THE episodes of this show, which is already one of THE podcasts that you can listen to.And no matter what other (and demonstrably better) podcasts you listen to, always remember to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

OMG! Over here, over here! It's another FKA Rewind, where we take an episode that we already posted and repost it for all of you non-Spotify folk! It's a chance for you to experience new (to you) content without having to move away from your pod provider of choice. And let's just call it what it is: we basically get a week off.So without further ado's or adon't's, here is what we wrote when this episode initially posted, in March of 2024:Ah, the Billboard rerank. See, there's a chart at the end of the year, right? Well, see, there's a chart every week... I mean, there are several charts every week, and some of them are also charts that are put out every year, and the yearly charts are separate from the... let me start over.So back in 1913, the first edition of the "Last Week's Ten Best Sellers Among The Popular Songs" chart was released, giving readers the very best in sheet music of the time. We've come a long way from that. Now, we have a year-end Billboard chart, telling us the best songs of every year, as voted by you. Yes you. All of you.Actually, I don't know who votes, or how it's decided. I don't know much of anything. All I know is that the year-end charts are ALWAYS wrong, and they need a-fixin', and we a-fix 'em. We reorder the songs to a more digestible sequence, and we tell y'all about it, and y'all tell us that we're wrong and dumb, and we nod. See? Easy."How do you tell us?", I hear you opine. Well lemme hit you with these ol' chestnuts:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: a new thing! Musical Confessions. We're going to confess music... whatever that means. Look, we haven't ironed it out completely yet, but trust me when I say that it will be one of THE episodes of this show, which is already one of THE podcasts that you can listen to.And no matter what other (and demonstrably better podcasts you listen to, always remember to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Ass-Kickers, meet Sir Elton Hercules John. Sir Elton, Ass-Kickers.Now that we're properly introduced, let's get to the music! And there is a TON of it.You see, this is one of our One Song episodes, where we pick the best song of an artist's entire catalog. Thing is, this particular catalog is 31 FREAKING ALBUMS long. That's [counts on fingers] A LOT OF ALBUMS. But, faithful listeners, we don't shy away from a challenge here at Interrobang Media HQ. In fact, we run head-first into challenges, because we're dumb as hell and we don't know any better.And for once, we were all the better for taking that approach, as this was one hell of a ride. From 1969's debut, Empty Sky, to 2021's Regimental Sgt. Zippo, and everything in between... we went through them all. (Fun Fact: Regimental Sgt. Zippo is actually the newest AND the oldest Elton John album in the discography! You'll have to listen to the ep to find out why, or just look it up, we can't stop you.)As always, we need to know how YOU felt about our picks. Did we get it right? Did we overlook any great jams? Let us know in all the usual ways:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: no idea! We're looking at the Vault, and we're gonna pull something out... your guess is as good as mine.You know what else is as good as mine? It made no sense, and I don't care. Just... Keep. Kicking. Ass. Whatever.

Ass-Kickers! We're back with a brand-new-old episode.You see, back in December of last year, we did our first Top 5 Redraft. "What's that?", you all say on cue because I mailed each and every one of you cue cards before writing this, and let's not talk about the shipping costs, okay?Anydangway, we took our Top 5 Songs to Ring in the New Year ep, originally posted in 2021, and put a fresh coat of paint on it. We took all the songs - both top 5's and honorable mentions - on all three of our lists, threw 'em in a pool, and selected from them to create a new list. Each of us picked in a round, just like they do it in your sportsball of choice.The catch? Each song could only be selected once. No overlaps, no sharing. Someone grab a song from your list? Sorry about your luck.This time around, it's our Top 5 TV Show Themes ep from 2023 getting the Redraft treatment. Will we go with some tried and true choices from our first lists? Will we go off the beaten path to try and snipe one another? Is this a blatant reuse of old content because we couldn't be arsed to think of a new episode topic?I... well, you see... what about social media? Let's maybe do that like right now!! Hahaha yeah everything is great!!!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: legend status is maybe something we throw around a bit too much, but this cat practically wrote the book on the topic. We talk about all his work. It's fun.You know what else is legendary? Well lemme tell ya: it's legendary whenever you Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Ass-Kickers! Welcome to the Rush episode for the Song of the Summer.Ass-Kickers! Welcome to the Vibes episode for the Song of the Summer.[cue that one gif from Road to El Dorado where Miguel and Tulio are all "Both! Both-both... both."]Yep, we smashed the two episode types together. It's basically a Rush with more discussion... or is it a Vibes with more rankings? I mean, what even IS a "podcast" anyway? This is getting weird, as per usual. I'll just say that this episode is exactly what it's supposed to be, replete with the typical mediocrity that you've come to expect from us....or is it? Do you expect more? Heaven help you if you expect more.Either way, chime in and let us know if this episode met your expectations, and what we could have done better to win you over as a fan ("get off of my podcast provider of choice" is a valid answer here).Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/A normal, garden-variety Top 5 for you. No surprises, just great music from a legendary artist.You know what else is legendary? Well lemme tell ya: it's legendary whenever you Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Ass-Kickers! Thanks to technical difficulties, you get a reprieve.Specifically, a reprieve from the same tired old May Reviews bit... you know the one, we're 5/12ths through the year so let's talk about 5/12ths of this, 5/12ths of that. Fun the first year? Sure! Fun the fifth year? Nah.I (Zack, clearly) had this year's iteration 90% written - I just needed to update a few more things, slap the socials on, and out the door it went. The problem with that plan is that I have no earthly idea where I put the draft at. It's not in any of the three or so places where I would normally put half-baked text documents. It's not even autosaved as a draft anywhere.In short, it's gonzo.So instead, a normal thing! I'm sure all of you are torn up about it. It's monthly reviews for May, with all the usual stuff: albums and newly-charting singles in the top 40 of the Billboard and the American Top 40 charts. We talk about a 37-track album. Good times are had by all, or something like that.But, as always, we want to hear from you! Whether you listened to 5/12ths of the episode (that would put you at the 31:08.333 mark, if you were curious) or the whole thing, we'd love to find out what albums and singles YOU have been listening to lately. So let us know, k? k.Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: we take two regular FKA concepts and shove them together. It's not as weird as you think it might be, or even as we thought it might be. It was good. Trust me.And since I want you to trust me, let me say that I will trust you, specifically to Keep. Kicking. Ass.

Ass-Kickers! There was a bit of news on the music front today. (Wednesday 5/28/2025, a date that was absolutely not backdated to account for an episode that was posted late, couldn't be us, nope.) Specifically, the record for the most RIAA Diamond Certifications by one artist was set. For reference, here's the qualification, according to Wikipedia:500,000 units: Gold album1,000,000 units: Platinum album2,000,000+ (in increments of 1,000,000 thereafter) units: Multi-Platinum album10,000,000 units: Diamond albumThe article goes on to state that a "unit" is either a physical/digital album sale; a download of ten tracks from the album; or a total of 1500 on-demand audio or video streams of tracks from the album.By these measures, there has been only one artist to ever earn ten of these Diamond classifications... and that artist, believe it or not, is Drake. (I know, we're kinda shocked too.) But ultimately it's not the RIAA's clasification that matters; rather, it's up to what us three podcast jerks decide.Thus: a One Song, which is actually a REWIND episode that was originally posted in June of 2023. We said the following at the time:"Whether you refer to him as Drizzy, Champagne Papi, the 6 God, Francisco Mandarin, October's Very Own (that's what OVO stands for?? I'll be damned), Mr OVOXO, Young Sweet Jones, Mr. Damn He Aint' Coppin That Is He?, The Reason Why You Always Getting Faded, The Only 23 Year Old Wine Connoisseur (not anymore you 36-year-old crustbucket), '91 Dan Marino, or simply, Aubrey… he's certainly made his mark on the industry in a huge way. And he's also made his mark on this here episode of the Fairly KickAss podcast."Since this was recorded, some less-than-savory things have come out about Drake, which have certainly soured us - and many others! - a bit from where we once were. But it was still a good episode, with good conversation, and we still wanted to share it, without nary a minor update in post to speak of.So please check it out, and let us know what you think!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: remember to drive two miles an hour throughout the entire season, so everybody sees you. Unless you don't want to be perceived, at which point maybe sit back and unwind instead. Either way, you got options in the summer, and we'll talk about some of them.And while we recognize that you might have options in all seasons for podcast listening, we still have to request - no matter you listen to us or not - that you Keep. Kicking. Ass.

More like "LATE-pril", amirite?I'm rite, of course.It's like May Something-or-Other-th. We get it. Sometimes things get weird! For example: the Eurovision Song Contest preview ep taking up residence before the reviews... as well as a couple other odds-and-ends. Thus: late reviews.But! Better late than never, as they say in "the biz". Industry term.Usual thing: new albums. Charting reviews. In and out in like an hour. Easy listen.As always, let us know if we got it right!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: we're headed to the Vault! For what, you may ask? We're not gonna tell you yet, because we want you to be surprised, and not because we haven't decided on the ep yet, that would be ridiculous.Not at all ridiculous? You Keeping. Kicking. Assing.

Ass-Kickers! We're taking a trip across the pond. It's time once again for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. For the uninitiated, the ESC is a yearly contest, by which many European countries (and Australia and part of Asia... it's a thing) bring their best musical acts (which may or may not be from that country... it's a thing) to compete for the title of the Eurovision Song Contest champion. For the already-initiated, douze points for you! (as you guessed already, it's yet another thing.)We give you a brief rundown of how this whole dealio works, and we also preview the countries - and songs - making up 2025's field. This is one to hear, and see, for yourself though. Use this episode as a sort of "what to watch for" primer, but immerse yourself in the pomp and the circumstance otherwise. The best way to experience the ESC, especially for newer folk, is to just jump in feet-first.Check it out live, streaming on Peacock, on Saturday at 3:00 PM ET. If you want some extra credit, take a gander at the second semi-final, on Thursday at 3:00 PM ET - also on Peacock. The first semi-final has already come and gone, but you can check it out - along with a plethora of other ESC content - on their YouTube page, at https://www.youtube.com/@EurovisionSongContest.And you can check US out at the following areas:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: April Reviews! Yes, May's almost over. Yes, shut up.Actually, I take it back: don't shut up. Instead, channel that energy toward Continuing. to Kick. Ass.

Kickers of Ass! I'd like to reintroduce all of you to the year 2009. The biggest news in the music industry was the passing of one Michael Jackson, and sitting here nearly 16 years later, it doesn't feel like it's been that long. On the other side of the spectrum, sometimes-singer and mostly-actor Patrick Swayze also passed away in 2009, which feels like it was way longer ago.I don't at all mean to minimize how impactful both of these legends were... in fact, just the opposite! With the passing of figures of such prominence, you would think that we would have a better barometer of when they passed - and yet, without fail, we all tend to overshoot or undershoot the mark all so often. Which is just the way it goes, right?Well I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to go that way. Because we present to you a podcast episode filled with music that seems exactly as old as it is.Listen to this episode first, where we re-order the Billboard Year-End chart for 2009. Go and listen to all the songs on the list afterward, and you'll think "yep, that one seems 15 years old... and that one... and that one too!" It'll be great fun for all involved.You know what else is great fun for all involved? Social media, that's what! And I'm definitely not saying that through gritted teeth, because that would be ridiculous! Awkward chuckle!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: It's that time of year when we talk about that big ol' music shebang from across the pond. This year's edition is shaping up to be a hootenanny.You know what else is a... I know, I know, it doesn't always work, and this is one of those times. But you should still Keep. Kicking. Ass. all the same.

Ass-Kickers! We've been doing this for five years now (over five years, as I write this), and... wow. We never get the chance to toot our own horns, but we're going to - just this once - because, damn. We're proud of what we've been able to do, we're proud of all of the content that we've produced, and we're proud that we get to continue to do this - hopefully for another five years, and beyond.We talk about all of it in this episode... it's a Vibes episode, which is our more conversational episode type. We felt that this was the perfect way to properly give the last five years its due.From the beginning, amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, to several new episode types, countless album/newly-charting top-40 single reviews, dumb bits, and more dumb bits... we feel like we've done a lot. And all of it is thanks to all of you.We know that we haven't had the largest following, and that's okay! If we did this for no one, we would still love it. If you're reading this - no matter how many of you are reading this - just know that we're absolutely stoked to have you around. And also just know that the next five years will be far better than even the awesome first five have been.And, as has always been the case, we truly care what all of you have to think. What were some of your favorite episodes or episode types? What about least-favorite? And what would you like to see us do in the future?Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: an episode about a year that was, by all accounts, 2009. A bit of a spoiler, perhaps. The perfect complement to a bit of Ass-Kicking. From you.

Ass-Kickers! It's time for another Coverlutions episode, and this time we're going a bit... melancholy. We talk about a bit of a downer jam, but one that is truly beautiful - that being the song Ain't No Sunshine, by the legendary Bill Withers.For those of y'all who have no idea what a "Coverlutions" is, lemme back up a bit for ya: we take an oft-covered song, and the three hosts work to find great covers of the song. Traditional, interesting, weird... no stone gets overturned. We each present a certain number of covers (in this case, eight), and whoever has covers remaining after all is said and done wins. The prize is a picture of a set of steak knives.For those of y'all who are familiar with Coverlutions, I'm sorry. It took us a few swings of the ol' basketball to figure out the best format, and I think we finally nailed it. We'll all be on the same page from this point forward. Probably. Maybe.Speaking of, would you like to probably-maybe sync up with all of us? If so then lemme tell ya how!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: We commemorate our five-year anniversary by discussing our surprise at not being kicked off of the internet yet. (Yet.)Something else being kicked? Ass. By you, dear listener.

New ep who dis? [EDITOR'S NOTE: Okay, you can't keep saying that this podcast knows about "the youths" and then use old-ass references like that. Do better.]What the helly? It's a new episode type, that's what!! [EDITOR'S NOTE: sigh]We're calling this one SomeOnes. The premise is easy to learn, but takes a lifetime to master... or something. You see, each of us got a randomly-generated year, sometime within the last 50 years. Dan scored 1979, J copped 1996, and Zack ended up with 2010.Each of us creates a 5-10 minute presentation, akin to a Deep Dive or an Unsung, about a song that hit #1 on the chart from that year. "Which chart?", I hear you say... and I don't have an answer for you. Rather, the answer is any. All. Every. If the song hit #1 on a chart, then it's fair game. SomeOnes. Right? Yeah? Yeah.You got the premise, and you also see that there are really no guardrails for us at all. Keep that in mind as we go in... directions. It's us. It's expected.But like all of our new episode types, it's in probation until we know that it's a winner. And how do we know? because you tell us. So tell us what you think!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fairlykickass.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/fairlykickassTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fairlykickassThreads: https://www.threads.net/@fairlykickassWebsite (for Ride-Along Playlists): https://fairlykickass.com/Next week: wake up babe, new Coverlutions just dropped! [EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm done.] Problem is you would have to read this next week for it to work. Come back to it, for the sake of the bit.And for the sake of Kicking. Ass, you should Keep. doing it.