Tag: Amongst Liars

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 42 – Amongst Liars, Icarus Phoenix, Perpacity, Thunder Fox

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews7 Comments

As the United States – under the control of a brazenly corrupt administration headed by a team of cruel psychopaths and Russian sympathizers – quickly descends into an outright authoritarian oligarchy, at least we continue to have lots of great music to help keep us from going totally insane. February 28th appears to have been a big day for new releases, which means it’s time for another installment of my Fresh New Tracks series. Today I’m showcasing songs by English rock band Amongst Liars, American shoegaze/indie rock band Icarus Phoenix, British-Danish electronic rock duo Perpacity, and Australian indie pop-rock band Thunder Fox.

Amongst Liars – “The Insane Ones”

Photo by Vic Payne

I’m not normally a big fan of hard rock, but I sure do love English band Amongst Liars. Their aggressive yet melodic style of modern rock, fortified by fearsome vocals, have earned them a loyal and passionate following, me included. Based in the Brighton/Eastbourne area on the southern coast of England, the band consists of Ian George (lead vocals & guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar & backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass & backing vocals), Adam Oarton (drums), and James Brumeo (keyboards & piano). I first learned about them in early 2020 and was intantly blown away by their explosive debut single “Over and Over”. They’ve since released numerous outstanding hard-hitting singles (many of which I’ve reviewed on this blog) and two critically acclaimed albums, Amongst Liars in 2022 and By Design in 2024.

And speaking of trying to not go insane, Amongst Liars are back with a fiery new single “The Insane Ones“. As with all their music, the track was produced and mixed by David Radahd-Jones at Red City Recordings in Manchester, and mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering. About the track, the band explains: “‘The Insane Ones’ was written and recorded in autumn 2024, in anticipation of the events currently unfolding in the U.S., but we believe it is now more relevant than ever. The song addresses fake news and propaganda that spread false narratives and brainwashing, encouraging people to bring out the worst versions of themselves and support extreme ideologies promoting unnecessary intolerance and hatred towards fellow human beings. It may be heavy subject matter, but someone needs to address the narrative – even a humble ‘lil rock band from Eastbourne.” Needless to say, given my political leanings the song deeply resonates with me, with biting lyrics calling out our duplicitous leaders: “We are the insane ones they try to blame, to blame. They set us up so we can fight for them. They set us up so we can die for them.” The dramatic cover artwork was designed by Adam Ingrams.

Icarus Phoenix – “Poor Sad Indie Everything”

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland is Icarus Phoenix, a shoegaze/indie rock band comprised of frontman Drew Danburry (guitar & lead vocals), Eli Sims (drums), Leena Rhodes (guitar, vocals and synths), Brendan Russell (bass), Peyton Rodeffer (guitar & vocals), as well as Andrew Young (drums, percussion). Originally formed in 2020 in Missoula, Montana, the band has experienced multiple lineups. They’ve released quite a bit of music, starting with their self-titled debut album in 2021, followed by two more albums that year, another in 2022 and their most recent, I Should Have Known the Things You Never Said, last August (2024), along with numerous singles at what appears to be at a rate of one every three weeks. Danburry has independently toured and released a staggering amount of solo music since 2002 , including over 400 songs on over 20 albums and 13 EPs, and has played more than 800 shows worldwide, all accomplished almost entirely DIY.

As I always do for an artist or band I’m writing about for the first time, I listened to quite a bit of their back music catalog, and I really like their pleasing sound and intelligent, poetic lyrics. Their latest single “Poor Sad Indie Everything“, is positively stunning, with a gorgeous mix of shimmery and chiming guitars accompanied by enchanting strings consisting of viola played by Kevin Nelson and cello by Alea Nelson. Danburry’s vocals are soothing and sweet as he sings “When the love we find, takes flight into a different corner. Loss of blind defines, that ducking, flowing stream when stars align.” The band provided a brief explanation about the song: “Sometimes a moment of beauty stays with us. A moment that shines through brilliantly and sears itself into our brain. We’re lucky to experience said moment. We recognize that. So we write it down. Document it. Save it for later. We go back in our memory when times are hard. Something that gives life meaning. Purpose. Joy. Well….times are hard.” Indeed they are, which is why we need uplifting and beautiful songs like this.

Perpacity – “The Void”

Perpacity is an electronic music act comprised of British singer-songwriter, composer and producer Ian Harling and Danish singer-songwriter, composer and producer Martin Nyrup. They’re both accomplished musicians with over 20 years of experience, and have been collaborating together for over a decade. Their sound is characterized by haunting melodies, lush electronic soundscapes and driving beats, with thoughtful and compelling lyrics. Since 2015, they’ve released five albums and scores of singles, two of which, “Granite” and it’s B-side “Never Let Go”, I reviewed in 2022. Those tracks were included on their fifth album Discordia, released in June 2023. 

Now they’re back with “The Void“, the second single (after “Racing With Flamingoes”) from their forthcoming sixth album Poverty Of The Flesh, due for release in August. Released through the Town And Towers Records label, the song has a dark, brooding vibe that calls to mind some of the songs by Depeche Mode. About the song, Perpacity explain: “’The Void’ grew out of a conversation about the uncertain state of today’s world, and how best to act in the face of impending doom. The track highlights the inevitability of destruction, and the many ways people cope – through belief, denial, or simply by embracing and venturing into the void.” The guys drive home their message with darkly beautiful yet almost menacing industrial synths set to a hypnotic beat, overlain by their droning vocals backed by an otherwordly ethereal chorus. The accompanying video, featuring a mix of actual disaster footage and AI-generated imagery of hellish landscapes, provides an unsettling and fitting visual for their song.

Thunder Fox – “Never Got That Far”

Photo by Del Brown

Mere words cannot express how much I adore Australian band Thunder Fox. The Sydney-based five-piece is one of the most creative, wickedly funny and insanely talented – not to mention sexiest – acts around, and I’ve gushed about them and their music numerous times on this blog over the past five and a half years. Comprised of the charismatic and silky-voiced Sam Dawes (lead vocals & guitar), Travers Keirle (Sax, vocals & rhymes), Jesse Tachibana (trumpet, vocals & synths), Max Vallentine (drums), and Jarrah Murray (bass), they skillfully blend funk, soul, blues rock, hip hop, jazz and pop into their delectable music stew. In addition to sounding great, their music has a stylish and jazzy sophistication, thanks to their outstanding songwriting and musicianship, including having both a saxophone and trumpet player in their lineup. They’ve released a tremendous amount of music since 2016, including three marvelous albums, two of which – Love at First Sniff (2019) and Sanctuary (2021) – I reviewed.

Their latest single “Never Got That Far” was inspired by Sam’s coming to terms with his drinking problem and taking responsibility for any hurt and misunderstandings he may have caused. He elaborates: “’Never Got That Far’ is our apology on behalf of all those who didn’t know themselves well enough to do right by our friends. For all the fumblers and fuckpeople who wish they did better when they had the chance – perhaps for a time machine to take us back, to try it again. We’ve been there. Let’s cry about it real quick then grow and learn together!” Though somewhat melancholy, the song is also enchanting and lovely, with great guitar work and organ accompanied by Jesse’s wonderful trumpet and some fine harmonica. Sam’s soulful, plaintive vocals are vulnerable and filled with regret as he apologizes to someone with whom he could have had a romantic relationship: “So you’ll know, I often wonder who we’d be if I had met you there. Guess we’ll never know. But you don’t have to forgive me. Never made no one love me when they didn’t. Just know that I’m sorry we never got that far.”

100 Best Indie Songs of 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Song Lists24 Comments
Photo courtesy of FREEP!K

At the end of each year, I publish a list of my Top 100 Songs, representing my picks for what I think are the best songs – my favorites actually – for the entire year. This year, at the suggestion of John Gilbert, guitarist and lead vocalist of Missouri folk rock band Voodoo Planet, I’ve also compiled a list of my 100 favorite indie songs of 2024 (their song “Adrift” is included in this list). Because I follow, and am followed by, many indie musicians and bands on the various social media platforms, I want to highlight some of the really outstanding music being made by them that’s every bit as good as that from mainstream acts.

These are not “indie” songs in terms of genre (though there are many that fall into that overall category), but songs by independent or unsigned music acts. Some are in fact signed to music labels, but they’re usually small, independently owned labels. There are 89 acts represented in this list, the majority of which are from the U.S., Canada and the U.K., but also from Australia, Malaysia, Norway, Spain, Germany and Ukraine. Of course, I must make note of the fact that this list contains only songs I’m aware of, and that there are likely hundreds or even thousands of other songs that deserve to be here, except that I’ve never heard them.

Though they’re ranked from #1 to 100, it doesn’t mean that a song at #30 is better than one at #70. That said, the ones closer to the top are my very favorites. And though I’d love to write a narrative about each song and artist, given my limited time and energy, not to mention people’s short attention spans, I’ve decided against that. I’ve created playlists on both Spotify and YouTube, which are included after the list itself. Enjoy!

  1. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in Waves
  2. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS
  3. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses
  4. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua
  5. A FORETOLD ECSTASY – Mayflower Madame
  6. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse
  7. I’VE GOT LOVING FOR YOU – Bottlecap Mountain
  8. KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters
  9. WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH
  10. FOR US ALL – Asgard Raven
  11. DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights
  12. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton
  13. BLUSH – Vazum
  14. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – Dead Slow Hoot
  15. FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed
  16. WAR – HEALER
  17. GOLD – Caitlin Lavagna
  18. HONEY – Mr Bewlay
  19. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano
  20. TOO MUCH OR NOT ENOUGH? – Candid
  21. YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster
  22. WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo, Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso & Gabrielle Marella & the voice of Tony Milillo
  23. VICES – 5ilas & Shimmer Johnson
  24. ADRIFT – Voodoo Planet & Mikey J
  25. BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport
  26. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn
  27. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society
  28. HOLOGRAM – Raker
  29. GOOD TIMES GO – The Kid and I
  30. JUST WANNA SLEEP – Halfloves
  31. IT’S OVER NOW – Oli Barton
  32. DYING TO MEET YOU – Gooseberry
  33. OH, WELL – John Serrano
  34. SUBMARINE – Homeless Radio
  35. BRAND NEW DAY – Ben Gorb
  36. DOWNING STREET – Brain Ape
  37. LOOSIE LUNA – Coppa Londra
  38. TEMPTATION – Pylon Poets
  39. WHY DO YOU CARE – The Muldoons
  40. I AM AM I? – NAVE
  41. THIS ALL ENDS HERE – Minus Cube & Natalie Lucie
  42. NEW PONY – The Nanners
  43. KEEPING SCORE – Snap Infraction
  44. WAKE ME UP – HEALER
  45. ODYSSEY – Josephine Pascoe
  46. LIKE THE SUN – A.Wake
  47. SMALL MERCIES – Brian Lambert & Marc Schuster
  48. EASIER AND EASIER – Lyia Meta
  49. VICTIM – Frank Joshua
  50. SMUDGE – Mock Deer
  51. THE LOST – The Ocean Beneath
  52. INVISIBLE INK – Ships Have Sailed
  53. BY DESIGN – Amongst Liars & Felin
  54. LITTLE SELF-INDULGENT – Western Jaguar
  55. PIECE OF CAKE – Bottlecap Mountain
  56. COLLISION – The Zangwills
  57. ROADS – HULLAH
  58. GUYS LIKE YOU – Olivia Miceli
  59. YOUTH – The 23’s
  60. STATELINE – Nathan Ball
  61. CHASING YOUR DREAMS – Asgard Raven
  62. ELEVEN – Minus Cube & P’like
  63. DREAM TONIGHT – The Ocean Beneath & Liz Mann
  64. SELF CONTROL – John Laurant, Ron van den Beuken & Shimmer Johnson
  65. THE BEST – Thunder Fox
  66. NEW MOON – Morning Fuzz
  67. REPOSSESS – Western Jaguar
  68. YOU ARE NOT A SLAVE – Amongst Liars
  69. CREATURE FEATURE – dwi
  70. BAD LUCK – The Macrotones
  71. WITCH TRAIN – The Blackburns
  72. NOCTURNALLY YOURS – Scoopski
  73. TANTALUS – John Serrano
  74. REAL COLORS – The Nanners
  75. DO YOU REALLY WANNA KNOW? – Set the Tone
  76. PRETTY ALRIGHT – Caitlin Lavagna
  77. LET’S RUN AWAY – Solar Eyes
  78. ONE ROOM PAST WAITING – Chief Springs
  79. ARE YOU REALLY FREE? – Alba
  80. FIREBIRD – Josephine Pascoe
  81. CHILDHOOD FRIENDS – naive nature
  82. SPACE TRAVEL – Sandrom
  83. MORE – Andrew Neil and Code Purple
  84. SMALL TIME FISH (BIG TIME POND) – Sorry Ghost
  85. THE VOID – Fuzzle
  86. GREEN EYED MONSTER – Olivia Miceli
  87. ALL I WANT – The Heroic Enthusiasts
  88. WHY DON’T YOU LOVE ME – Tom Burton
  89. COCK OF THE FIFTH YEAR – The Empty Page
  90. NOT READY YET – Sean Magwire
  91. GHOST – Grizzly Madams
  92. ALWAYS DO – Melody Zenith
  93. MISSED YOU – Mal Fantome
  94. WOULD YOU WANT IT (IF YOU HAD IT) – The Barons
  95. THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF WHAT IF – Eleanor Collides & Emily Gray
  96. EVERYTHING FITS – Wons Phreely + The Horses
  97. ANYWAY – The Crushing Violets
  98. PUSH IT BACK – Kiffie
  99. ALL THE SAME TO YOU – Quizboy & Marc Schuster
  100. SHADE – Microfilm

AMONGST LIARS – Single Review: “You Are Not a Slave”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews16 Comments

Since forming in 2019 after the breakup of their prior bands Saint Apache and Katalina Kicks, Amongst Liars have become one of the most exciting acts on the British rock music scene. Drawing from the best elements of alternative rock, grunge and punk, they play a melodic and fierce style of aggressive modern rock that’s earned them a loyal and passionate following, me included. Based in the Brighton/Eastbourne area on the South England coast, the band consists of Ian George (lead vocals, guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar, backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass, backing vocals), Adam Oarton (drums), and James Brumeo (keyboards and piano).

Photo by Vic Payne

I first learned about them in early 2020 and was intantly blown away by their explosive debut single “Over and Over”, which along with their third single “Burn the Vision”, ended up on my Top 100 Songs of 2020 list. Since then, they’ve dropped many more outstanding singles, several of which I’ve also reviewed on this blog (you can read some of them by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post). Their single “Black Days” earned a spot on my Top 100 Songs of 2021 list, and “The Shameful” did the same on my Top 100 Songs of 2023. In July 2022, they released their self-titled debut album Amongst Liars, an outstanding work featuring 11 tracks.

Last September (of 2023) Amongst Liars spent two weeks touring across the UK in support of Canadian hard rock band Theory of a Deadman. They then embarked on another tour last month, this time with American blues/grunge rock artist Ayron Jones (whose sound reminds me a bit of Lenny Kravitz) on his 15-day French tour. It was their second time touring with Jones, who they supported on his UK club tour in November 2022. Here’s a photo of the band at one of their French shows:

Photo by FloRiane F.

Now Amongst Liars are back with their latest single “You Are Not a Slave“, and once again, they’ve gifted us with a fearsome ripper of a tune. As with all their music, the song was produced and mixed by David Radahd-Jones at Red City Recordings in Manchester, and mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering. While they don’t consider themselves a ‘political band’, they certainly don’t shy away from expressing their anxieties and opinions about personal challenges and world events. As band vocalist Ian George has stated in the past, “We’re not preaching at anyone or trying to change the world. We’re just saying these are the things that affect and concern us.”

About “You Are Not a Slave”, Ian explains it’s “all about personal metamorphosis; not conforming to unreasonable demands and not allowing yourself to be controlled or devalued by people who don’t have your best interests at heart. This song comes from recent lived experience where I was subjected to passive aggressive and toxic behaviour in a work environment, which really fucked with my psyche–but ultimately, I wasn’t prepared to accept it. I channeled this frustration into the song, which was actually the last song to be recorded for our second album, and I was really pissed off when I sang this in the studio, so I guess everything happens for a reason! It also relates to personal development in general, especially with the constraints being put on people. The message is: ‘Be yourself, break the mould and don’t be afraid to follow your dreams.’“

Amongst Liars are all great musicians, adept at pushing their respective instruments to the limit to create an explosive wall of sound. On “You Are Not a Slave”, they unleash their formidable arsenal of sonic weaponry, delivering a furious onslaught of raging sludgy guitars, pummeling bass and thunderous drums, laying waste to the airwaves like a rampaging velociraptor. Leo and Ian shred their guitars nearly to the breaking point, while Ross and Adam keep the hard-driving rhythms blasting forward with a breathtaking intensity. Ian has a powerful, commanding vocal style that turns downright fearsome when he needs to get his point across. Here he summons his inner beast, nearly spitting the lyrics as he rails against those who try to dictate how to live your life.

The track will be included on the band’s forthcoming second album Design, planned for release on July 4 via Earache Records.

The fantastic video features arresting footage shot by Duncan Tyler, Vic Payne and others at some of their performances on their recent French tour with Ayron Jones. The brilliant editing was done by JR Lewis of Mediabite Group.

Like for all their singles, the terrific surreal artwork for “You Are Not a Slave”, showing three large cocoons in a dark and dingy room, was created by the brilliant artist Pierre Engelbrecht. Pierre’s works are often bizarre and sometimes disturbing, but always amazing, and you can see more of them by checking out his Instagram account.

Connect with Amongst Liars:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram
Find their music on  Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Amazon

Top 30 Songs for December 24-30, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments
Photo by Emmie America

We’ve arrived at the final week of 2023, and though it would be nice to have a sweet song at the top of my chart to bring us a bit of Christmas cheer, alas, that’s not to be. Instead, Green Day‘s boisterous protest anthem “The American Dream Is Killing Me” ascends to the #1 spot. The black and white video they made for the song is pretty violent and dark, with Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool made up as zombies, performing the song amidst hordes of zombies rioting in the streets and attacking people. Some scary stuff indeed!

In other chart developments, Brittany Howard‘s “What Now” is once again the biggest climber of the week, jumping eight spots to #7. The song is now #1 on the Billboard AAA chart. After spending three weeks at #4 in November, “Loving You” by Cannons reverses its downward course and moves back up five spots to #13, followed by “Wild” by Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster, “All I Die For” by SWiiMS, and “Cool About It” by boygenius, all of which advance five spots. Bleachers‘ “Modern Girl” moves up six spots to #17. Making their debut are the bluesy “Lose Control” by the gruff-voiced Georgia singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (born Jaten Collin Dimsdale), at #29, and “Winter Cowboy” by silky-voiced British artist Frank Joshua, at #30. It’s Frank’s second song to appear on my chart, the first being his beautiful “Bluebell Wood”, which peaked at #6 this past Spring.

  1. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (2)
  2. DARLING – Western Jaguar (1)
  3. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (3)
  4. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (4)
  5. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (5)
  6. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (6)
  7. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (15)
  8. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (9)
  9. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (11)
  10. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (8)
  11. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
  12. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (15)
  13. LOVING YOU – Cannons (18)
  14. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (19)
  15. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (20)
  16. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (21)
  17. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (23)
  18. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (17)
  19. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (10)
  20. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (22)
  21. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (12)
  22. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (14)
  23. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (25)
  24. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (16)
  25. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (27)
  26. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (28)
  27. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (29)
  28. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (30)
  29. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (N)
  30. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 17-23, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's4 Comments

We’re now into the home stretch of 2023 with just two weeks left in the year, and though the Billboard Hot 100 is dominated by vintage Christmas songs, my chart says ‘no’ to that! Accordingly, the delightful love song “Darling” by Canadian artist Western Jaguar holds onto the top spot for a second week. Green Day moves into second place with their rousing protest anthem “The American Dream is Killing Me”, while The Beatles‘ nostalgic “Now and Then” climbs three spots to #3. (The song is #1 for a second week on the Billboard AAA chart.) “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” by American hard rock band Bad Omens spends a fourth week at #7.

British pop-rock band Wild Horse enter the top 10 with their sweet song “Attraction”, moving up four spots to #9, and Brittany Howard‘s wonderful “What Now” is this week’s biggest climber, leaping 10 spots to #15. The lone debut this week, entering at #30, is “Nothing Matters” by British all-female indie rock band The Last Dinner Party. Although the song’s been a sizable hit on the Alternative charts, and seems to be almost everyone’s favorite, it’s taken a while to grow on me.

  1. DARLING – Western Jaguar (1)
  2. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (3)
  3. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (6)
  4. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (2)
  5. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (4)
  6. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (5)
  7. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
  8. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (9)
  9. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (13)
  10. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (10)
  11. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (16)
  12. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (8)
  13. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (15)
  14. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (12)
  15. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (25)
  16. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (11)
  17. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (18)
  18. LOVING YOU – Cannons (19)
  19. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (20)
  20. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (21)
  21. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (22)
  22. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (23)
  23. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (24)
  24. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (14)
  25. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (26)
  26. EVICTED – Wilco (17)
  27. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (28)
  28. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (29)
  29. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (30)
  30. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 10-16, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

One of my favorite indie artists is Western Jaguar, the music project of Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Trainor. Based in the eastern outskirts of Vancouver, British Columbia, Western Jaguar was born in 2012 when Trainor turned to music to get him out of a low point in his life. With the help of an evolving lineup of musicians, he released three EPs and several singles between 2013 and 2019, including the excellent “Disappear”, which went to #1 on my Weekly Top 30 in 2019. After experiencing a creative slump that began during the Covid pandemic, when he all but gave up on Western Jaguar, he later resurrected the project and completed an outstanding album of new and previously-written songs. The album, which he named Oblivion, was released in July (you can read my review here).

Though many of the album’s tracks deal with loss, Trainor is in fact a happily-married man, which he celebrates on the sweet love song “Darling“. Calling it the poppiest song he’s ever written, it’s definitely the most upbeat track on the album, with a bouncy melody, sunny guitar lines, plucky bass, cheerful xylophone and exuberant hand claps, accompanied by Trainor’s earnest and pleasing vocals. It’s a perfect little pop song, and I’ve grown to love it. Accordingly, it ascends to the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30, becoming Western Jaguar’s second song to top my chart. The endearing video was filmed in the beautiful Fraser River valley of British Columbia.

Otherwise, not many changes from last week, and there are no new debuts.

  1. DARLING – Western Jaguar (4)
  2. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (1)
  3. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (5)
  4. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (2)
  5. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (3)
  6. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (9)
  7. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
  8. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (6)
  9. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (10)
  10. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (11)
  11. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (12)
  12. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (13)
  13. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (14)
  14. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (8)
  15. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (16)
  16. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (19)
  17. EVICTED – Wilco (15)
  18. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (18)
  19. LOVING YOU – Cannons (20)
  20. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (21)
  21. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (22)
  22. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (23)
  23. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (24)
  24. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (25)
  25. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (26)
  26. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (27)
  27. SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man ft. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (17)
  28. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (28)
  29. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (29)
  30. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (30)

Top 30 Songs for December 3-9, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

Formed in 2018, Black Pumas is an American band based in Austin, Texas, fronted by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. Their music has been described as psychedelic soul, R&B and neo-soul, with strong blues and funk influences, and their distinctive sound alternates between a visceral rawness and smooth soulfulness, and everything in between. They’ve already earned six Grammy nominations over a three-year period for Best New Artist, Record of the Year, American Roots Performance, Album of the Year, Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Album. Their beautiful soulful single “More Than a Love Song”, from their second album Chronicles of a Diamond, takes over the top spot on my Weekly Top 30, after spending four weeks at #3. The song, which has an arresting gospel quality, recently spent six non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart.

“Now and Then” by the Beatles (which has dropped completely off the Billboard Hot 100 after just two weeks, but is #2 on the AAA chart) and “Atomic City” by U2 enter my top 10. Two high-energy songs make their debut this week: “Blame Brett” by Toronto, Canada-based all-female indie rock band The Beaches, at #29, and “Pretty Vicious” by British glam rock band The Struts, at #30.

  1. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
  2. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (1)
  3. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (2)
  4. DARLING – Western Jaguar (5)
  5. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (8)
  6. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (6)
  7. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
  8. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (4)
  9. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (11)
  10. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (13)
  11. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (14)
  12. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (15)
  13. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (16)
  14. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (18)
  15. EVICTED – Wilco (10)
  16. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (17)
  17. SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man ft. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (9)
  18. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (19)
  19. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (20)
  20. LOVING YOU – Cannons (12)
  21. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (22)
  22. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (23)
  23. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (24)
  24. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (26)
  25. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (27)
  26. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (28)
  27. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (29)
  28. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (30)
  29. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (N)
  30. PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (N)

Top 30 Songs for November 26-December 2, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

The boisterous “HONEY (ARE U COMING?)” by Italian rock band Måneskin remains on top for a second week, while “ONE MORE TIME” by blink-182 holds at #2 for a second week after spending four weeks at #1. “More Than a Love Song” by Black Pumas spends a fourth week at #3, while the Foo Fighters‘ “Under You”, Western Jaguar‘s “Darling”, The 23s‘ “My Kinda Girl” and Bad Omens‘ “DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” all advance a notch. Green Day enter the top 10 at #8 with “The American Dream Is Killing Me”, while The Beatles‘ “Now and Then” moves up one spot to #11. The song debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 but plummeted to #76 in its second week, indicating that it was heavily streamed upon its release, but that the public seems to have quickly lost interest, which is really too bad.

As we enter the final month of 2023, five terrific songs make their debut on my chart this week. First up is the gorgeous “White Horse” by Nashville-based country-rock artist Chris Stapleton, entering at #26. The lead single from his fifth studio album Higher, “White Horse” was actually released this past July. Next up is “Modern Girl” by alternative pop-rock band Bleachers, headed by singer-songwriter and producer extraordinaire Jack Antonoff. The rousing song, which features some marvelous sax, took a while to grow on me but finally enters my chart at #27. Entering at #28 is the soulful “What Now” by American singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, who possesses one of the more powerful and interesting voices of any artist today. The song is the lead single of her forthcoming second album of the same name. Bringing up the rear are two wonderful dance singles, the first of which is the delightful “How Did You Get Here?” by talented young British singer-songwriter Antony Szmierek, which I learned about from fellow blogger Andy Peterson (who has a great blog titled The Voice Of Unreason). And last, but certainly not least, is “Houdini”, the latest single by impossibly beautiful English-Albanian singer-songwriter Dua Lipa.

  1. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (1)
  2. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (2)
  3. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
  4. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (5)
  5. DARLING – Western Jaguar (6)
  6. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (7)
  7. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (8)
  8. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (11)
  9. SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (9)
  10. EVICTED – Wilco (10)
  11. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (12)
  12. LOVING YOU – Cannons (4)
  13. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (16)
  14. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (17)
  15. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (18)
  16. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (19)
  17. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (20)
  18. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (21)
  19. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (22)
  20. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (24)
  21. HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (15)
  22. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (25)
  23. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (26)
  24. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (27)
  25. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (13)
  26. WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (N)
  27. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (N)
  28. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (N)
  29. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (N)
  30. HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (N)

Top 30 Songs for November 19-25, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments

What an exciting chart we have this week, with a new #1 song and new debuts by two legendary acts. Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest two and a half years ago with “Zitti e Buoni”, Italian rock band Måneskin have amassed enormous commercial success and legions of passionate fans, if not always critical acclaim. Formed in 2016 while still in high school, the irrepressible and charismatic foursome consists of Damiano David (lead vocals), Victoria De Angelis (bass), Thomas Raggi (guitar) and Ethan Torchio (drums). I love their bombastic rock extravaganza “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?”, which takes over the #1 spot on my Weekly Top 30 chart after spending three weeks at #2.

Released on September 1st, the song is the sixth single from their most recent album RUSH (previous chart-topping singles from the album include “SUPERMODEL” and “THE LONELIEST”). Though generally favorable, reviews for RUSH were mixed, with Sam Law of Kerrang! writing that Måneskin are “still utterly unstoppable when they tap into the youthful exuberance and fiery eccentricity that got them here in the first place“, whereas Jeremy Larson of Pitchfork called it “absolutely terrible at every conceivable level: vocally grating, lyrically unimaginative, and musically one-dimensional. It is a rock album that sounds worse the louder you play it.” While I think the album is a bit too long (it features 18 tracks, but was reissued on November 10th as RUSH (ARE U COMING?) with a whopping 22 tracks), I love the band’s explosive energy and enjoy most of their songs.

The two very notable debuts, both of which were released on November 2nd, enter my chart quite high this week. The first, entering at #11, is “The American Dream Is Killing Me” by California pop-punk trio Green Day, released alongside “Look Ma, No Brains!” as the lead single from their forthcoming 14th studio album, Saviors, due out next year. Never afraid of making a socio-political statement, band front man Billie Joe Armstrong told Stereogum that the song is “a look at the way the traditional American Dream doesn’t work for a lot of people—in fact, it’s hurting a lot of people.”

Debuting right behind at #12 is “Now and Then” by The Beatles. At first I had mixed feelings about the song and how it came to be, but I’ve come to like it. Released as a double A-side single along with a new stereo remix of their first single, “Love Me Do”, they serve as a kind of “bookends” to the band’s history. “Now and Then” was written and recorded by John Lennon in 1977 as a solo piano demo on his home tape recorder, but was never finished. After his death in 1980, the song was considered for inclusion along with “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” for The Beatles’ 1995–1996 retrospective project The Beatles Anthology, but shelved due to its poor audio quality. Paul McCartney later remarked that George Harrison disliked the song, calling Lennon’s demo recording “fucking rubbish“. (Wikipedia)

Fast forward to 2023, McCartney and Ringo Starr were able to use the machine-learning-assisted audio restoration technology – originally commissioned by Peter Jackson for his 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back– to successfully extract Lennon’s vocals from the original demo. They then added their new vocal overdubs, Harrison’s 1995 guitar tracks along with a new slide guitar solo by McCartney, Starr’s new drum parts, and a string section written by Giles Martin (son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin), McCartney, and Ben Foster, to complete the new version of “Now and Then.” The result is a song that’s, in the words of Benjamin H. Smith who wrote about it for the website Decider, “underwhelming at first, due to its minor key verse and stately tempo, [but] repeated listens pull you in with its its artistry and gravitas“, which was exactly my own personal reaction.

The song has generally been well received by many critics who felt it was a worthy finale for the Beatles, however, some have been less generous, with a few bloggers I follow bitterly denouncing the entire project. Be that as it may, “Now and Then” has already topped the music charts in the UK, Germany, and Austria, and last week debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the highest-charting song by the Beatles since “Free as a Bird” reached #6 in 1995.

Also worth noting on this week’s chart is the 10-point jump of U2‘s anthemic “Atomic City” (another song I was initially ambivalent about, partly because the chorus sounds a lot like Blondie’s “Call Me”), which is currently #1 on the Billboard AAA chart. With songs out now by both the Beatles and Rolling Stones, as well as veteran acts U2, Green Day, Wilco, Foo Fighters and blink-182, one can be forgiven for wondering what year we’re in!

  1. HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (2)
  2. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (1)
  3. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
  4. LOVING YOU – Cannons (4)
  5. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (6)
  6. DARLING – Western Jaguar (8)
  7. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (9)
  8. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (10)
  9. SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (11)
  10. EVICTED – Wilco (12)
  11. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (N)
  12. NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (N)
  13. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (5)
  14. WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (7)
  15. HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (15)
  16. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (26)
  17. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (20)
  18. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (21)
  19. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (22)
  20. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (23)
  21. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (24)
  22. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (25)
  23. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (13)
  24. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (27)
  25. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (28)
  26. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (29)
  27. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (30)
  28. OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (14)
  29. BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (16)
  30. PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (17)

Top 30 Songs for November 12-18, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's6 Comments

It’s been quite a while since a song has spent four weeks at #1 on my chart (the last time was two years ago this month with Two Feet’s “Don’t Bring Me Down”), but “ONE MORE TIME” by blink-182 still strongly resonates with me. “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin holds at #2 for a third week, and in fact, the entire top 7 remains unchanged from last week.

The middle of my chart, however, has lots of movement, with several songs making big upward moves. Three songs enter the top 10: “Darling” by Canadian artist Western Jaguar; “My Kinda Girl” by British synth-pop trio The 23s, and “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” by American metalcore band Bad Omens, all of which advance six spots. The biggest climbers this week are “Summer of Luv” by Portland-based alt-rock band Portugal. The Man featuring Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and “Evicted” by Chicago alt-rock veterans Wilco, each jumping seven spots to #11 and #12, respectively. The bottom third of the chart is more sluggish, with all ten songs advancing one spot. Bringing up the rear is the lone debut, “Cool About It” by boygenius, a long-overdue addition to my chart.

  1. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (1)
  2. HONEY (ARE U COMING) – Måneskin (2)
  3. MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
  4. LOVING YOU – Cannons (4)
  5. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (5)
  6. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (6)
  7. WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (7)
  8. DARLING – Western Jaguar (14)
  9. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (15)
  10. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (16)
  11. SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (18)
  12. EVICTED – Wilco (19)
  13. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (10)
  14. OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (12)
  15. HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (17)
  16. BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (11)
  17. PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (13)
  18. FRANCESCA – Hozier (8)
  19. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (9) 21st week on chart
  20. THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (21)
  21. ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (22)
  22. YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (23)
  23. RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (24)
  24. ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (25)
  25. GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (26)
  26. ATOMIC CITY – U2 (27)
  27. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (28)
  28. WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (29)
  29. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (30)
  30. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (N)