“No Rain, No Flowers”, the title track from Nashville-based blues rock duo The Black Keys‘ 13th and latest album No Rain, No Flowers, is my new #1 song this week. Though the song, along with many of the other tracks on the album, has a decidedly more polished, poppy sound than their usual musical fare, I really like it. I love its smooth head-bopping dance groove, twangy guitars and Dan Auerbach’s always-cool vocals, plus it’s catchy as hell. The song and album have received mostly positive reviews, though some have criticized it for being too pop-oriented, overly produced or simply veering too far away from their blues rock roots. That said, the album’s lead single “The Night Before” spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart this past May, whereas “No Rain, No Flowers” peaked at only #28 and is now falling. The song did recently peak at #2 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, however.

In other chart news of note, “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” by Los Angeles-based ROLE MODEL (the music project of singer-songwriter Tucker Harrington Pillsbury), advances six spots to enter the top 10 at #10. And curiously, the songs at numbers 11 and 12 both have three-word titles in all B’s – “Basic Being Basic” and Bloom Baby Bloom”.

There are two new debuts again this week, the first of which is the delightful “Afterlife” by American musician, producer, and singer-songwriter Alex G (born Alexander Giannascoli in Havertown, Pennsylvania). Since 2011, the prolific musician has released ten studio albums, four EPs, three live albums, two soundtrack albums and 30 singles. The lead single from his 10th and latest album Headlights, “Afterlife” has become Alex G’s highest charting single in the U.S., currently sitting at #8 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart. That ukelele is utterly charming.

The second new entry is “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, their first new music release in four years since “ISN’T EVERYONE”, a collaborative single with Los Angeles-based industrial/noise rock band Health. Formed in 1988 as a solo act by singer-songwriter, musician, and composer Trent Reznor (who was inspired by Prince to play all instruments himself except drums, which he programmed electronically), Nine Inch Nails for many years consisted of Reznor as the only official member, aided by an ever-changing group of backing musicians for live performances. He finally added English musician and long-time collaborator Atticus Ross as the act’s second permanent member in 2016. Released on July 17th, “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” is from the forthcoming soundtrack album Tron: Ares (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), to be released September 19th. Nine Inch Nails composed the score for the film Tron: Ares, the third installment in the Tron series scheduled for release October 10th. At the age of 60, Reznor sounds as good as ever.

1. NO RAIN, NO FLOWERS – The Black Keys (3)
2. THE CONTRACT – Twenty One Pilots (1)
3. MOODY – Royel Otis (2)
4. FEELS RIGHT – Talk in Waves (5)
5. BACK TO FRIENDS – sombr (4)
6. RIPPLE – Good Neighbours (7)
7. BETTER OFF EVENTUALLY – Bealby Point (8)
8. LOVE IS A FIRE – Art Block (9)
9. LONDON TOWN – Healer (10)
10. SALLY, WHEN THE WINE RUNS OUT – ROLE MODEL (16)
11. BASIC BEING BASIC – Djo (6)
12. BLOOM BABY BLOOM – Wolf Alice (15)
13. JUPITER – almost monday ft. Jordana (17)
14. UNDRESSED – sombr (18)
15. ASSHOLE – The Lumineers (20)
16. PORCELAIN (LOSING ALL MY PATIENCE) – Somebody’s Child (11)
17. NOTHING I NEED – Lord Huron (12)
18. SCARS – Secret Postal Society (13)
19. BACKSEAT – Balu Brigada (21)
20. POLYESTER (YES SIR) – Sorry Ghost (22)
21. TODAY’S SONG – Foo Fighters (23)
22. FIVE MORE SECONDS – Seafret & KT Tunstall (24)
23. WHAT WAS THAT – Lorde (14)
24. BETTER DAYS – Yellowcard (29)
25. INCOMPREHENSIBLE – Big Thief (26)
26. LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated (28)
27. UNRAVELLING – Muse (30)
28. BONNET OF PINS – Matt Berninger (19)
29. AFTERLIFE – Alex G (N)
30. AS ALIVE AS YOU NEED ME TO BE – Nine Inch Nails (N)