1. EX’S AND OH’S – Elle King
2. FIRST – Cold War Kids
3. SHIP TO WRECK – Florence + the Machine
4. ELECTRIC LOVE – BORNS
5. COULD HAVE BEEN ME – The Struts
6. I AM – Awolnation
7. DREAMS – Beck
8. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? – Justin Bieber
9. CAN’T FEEL MY FACE – The Weeknd
10. STRESSED OUT – twenty one pilots
Month: September 2015
No Devotion – “Permanence”
Another great band I’ve recently discovered is No Devotion, an alternative rock supergroup formed by the four remaining former members of the Welsh band Lostprophets after their unfortunate demise – Lee Gaze, Stuart Richardson, Jamie Oliver and Mike Lewis – and American singer Geoff Rickly (formerly of the bands Thursday and United Nations). Their sound has been compared to that of The Cure and New Order, and I hear a bit of Interpol as well. But their music surely stands on its own. With lush, sweeping synth rock arrangements, compelling lyrics and Rickly’s beautiful soaring vocals, their debut album Permanence is, quite simply, a work of art. It’s easily one of the best albums of 2015, if not the past several years. It usually takes several listens for me to like a song, but I liked all of the songs on this album on the first or, at most, second listen. Now I love every single one of them.
I’d like to include every song in this post, but for the sake of brevity I’m sharing three of my favorites:
Bastille – “No Scrubs”
A surprisingly good cover by Bastille of TLC’s song “No Scrubs.” I really like when an artist or band goes outside their comfort zone and performs another artist’s song in their own style.
The Awareness – “Static Transmissions”
One of my favorite indie alternative rock bands is The Awareness, who hail from Ontario, Canada. Their sound is somewhat reminiscent of fellow Canadian band Three Days Grace, with a bit of the Gin Blossoms and Jimmy Eat World thrown in, but they have a unique style all their own. Band members include Barry Mantle (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Tav Hotoyan (Drums, Vocals), Matt Rock (Bass, Vocals) and Andy Guglielmo (Lead Guitar).
Their songs’ intelligent lyrics primarily address troubled relationships. The most striking feature of their hard-driving music style is the outstanding guitar work, with complex, multi-layered riffs and buzzing bass lines. Add Mantle’s commanding, yet melodic vocals and Hatoyan’s forceful drums, and you’ve got some really awesome classic-style rock songs.
Here’s a sampling of two great songs from their EP “Static Transmissions.”
The Awareness’ music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play and https://theawareness.bandcamp.com/
Top 10 Songs for Week of September 20-26
1. EX’S AND OH’S – Elle King
2. FIRST – Cold War Kids
3. DREAMS – Beck
4. SHIP TO WRECK – Florence + the Machine
5. CAN’T FEEL MY FACE – The Weeknd
6. ELECTRIC LOVE – BORNS
7. COULD HAVE BEEN ME – The Struts
8. I AM – Awolnation
9. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? – Justin Bieber
10. SEDONA – Houndmouth
Top 10 Songs for Week of September 13-19
1. FIRST – Cold War Kids
2. EX’S AND OH’S – Elle King
3. DREAMS – Beck
4. SHIP TO WRECK – Florence + the Machine
5. CAN’T FEEL MY FACE – The Weeknd
6. ELECTRIC LOVE – BORNS
7. BLAME IT ON ME – George Ezra
8. COULD HAVE BEEN ME – The Struts
9. I AM – Awolnation
10. RENEGADES – X Ambassadors
Top 50 Songs of 2010
In 2010, a wide range of established rock artists, including Eminem, Train, John Mayer, Lifehouse, Weezer, Muse, Cage the Elephant, Phoenix, Three Days Grace, and Alice in Chains produced great songs. New artist Ke$ha had one of the biggest hits of the year with “Tik Tok,” her irresistibly fun “let’s get drunk and party” song. Lady Gaga was back in full force with her album “Fame Monster,” a collection of songs that dealt with the dark side of fame and doomed relationships, including the brilliant “Bad Romance,” easily her best song. And jazz-pop singer Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet” was a guilty pleasure and a delightful throwback to the 60s. The Script, The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, Mike Posner, Neon Trees, and American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert all scored their first major hits. Another newcomer was the incredibly talented Bruno Mars, whose collaborations with R&B/hip-hop artists Travie McCoy and B.o.B. gave us a taste of some great music to come from him.
My pick for best song of 2010 is Country pop band Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” an achingly beautiful song of loneliness and longing.
1. NEED YOU NOW – Lady Antebellum
2. HEY, SOUL SISTER – Train
3. TIK TOK – Ke$ha
4. BREAKEVEN – The Script
5. BAD ROMANCE – Lady Gaga
6. HEARTBREAK WARFARE – John Mayer
7. RESISTANCE – Muse
8. HAVEN’T MET YOU YET – Michael Buble
9. LAY ME DOWN – The Dirty Heads featuring Rome Ramirez
10. TIGHTEN UP – The Black Keys
11. TEENAGE DREAM – Katy Perry
12. ALL THE RIGHT MOVES – OneRepublic
13. HALF OF MY HEART – John Mayer featuring Taylor Swift
14. COOLER THAN ME – Mike Posner
15. TELEPHONE – Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
16. LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE – Eminem featuring Rihanna
17. 1901 – Phoenix
18. ANIMAL – Neon Trees
19. SECRETS – OneRepublic
20. BREAK YOUR HEART – Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris
21. UPRISING – Muse
22. MISERY – Maroon 5
23. (IF YOU’RE WONDERING IF I WANT YOU TO) I WANT YOU TO – Weezer
24. NOT AFRAID – Eminem
25. KINGS AND QUEENS – 30 Seconds to Mars
26. BACK AGAINST THE WALL – Cage the Elephant
27. BREAK – Three Days Grace
28. YOUR DECISION – Alice in Chains
29. LISZTOMANIA – Phoenix
30. LIFE AFTER YOU – Daughtry
31. IF YOU ONLY KNEW – Shinedown
32. IN ONE EAR – Cage the Elephant
33. WHATAYA WANT FROM ME – Adam Lambert
34. DYNAMITE – Taio Cruz
35. DJ GOT US FALLIN’ IN LOVE – Usher featuring Pitbull
36. NOTHIN’ ON YOU – B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars
37. JUST A DREAM – Nelly
38. SAVIOR – Rise Against
39. ALEJANDRO – Lady Gaga
40. BULLETPROOF – La Roux
41. SOMEDAY – Rob Thomas
42. IMPOSSIBLE – Anberlin
43. HALFWAY GONE – Lifehouse
44. UNDO IT – Carrie Underwood
45. LITTLE LION MAN – Mumford & Sons
46. YOUR LOVE IS MY DRUG – Ke$ha
47. YOUNG FOREVER – Jay-Z featuring Mr. Hudson
48. IMPOSSIBLE – Shontelle
49. MY BEST THEORY – Jimmy Eat World
50. BILLIONAIRE – Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars
Top 10 Songs for Week of September 6-12
1. FIRST – Cold War Kids
2. EX’S AND OH’S – Elle King
3. DREAMS – Beck
4. CAN’T FEEL MY FACE – The Weeknd
5. BLAME IT ON ME – George Ezra
6. SHIP TO WRECK – Florence + the Machine
7. ELECTRIC LOVE – BORNS
8. COULD HAVE BEEN ME – The Struts
9. RENEGADES – X Ambassadors
10. TEAR IN MY HEART – twenty-one pilots
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 