Tag: Collette McLafferty

Top 30 Songs for January 12-18, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's4 Comments

After spending two weeks at #2, “The Faithful Heart” by Australian-born and now L.A.-based singer-songwriter Wons Phreely, backed by his band The Horses, ascends to the #1 spot on my latest Top 30 chart. I loved it at first listen, as well as the charming video they made for the song, and wrote about it in late November, which you can read here. But to summarize, Wons wrote the lyrics for “The Faithful Heart”, with the beautiful music written by singer-songwriter and musician David Skeet (who’s one half of the music duo Winter Swim and also produced and mixed the track). He said he was inspired to write it after thinking of a childhood friend he’d grown up with in Australia who, like himself, had moved on to a bigger city in search of greater opportunities and figuring out how to make their way through life. I love that sweet little piano riff at the beginning, those glorious chiming and jangly guitars, and Wons’ earnest vocals that rise to an endearing falsetto, backed by lovely harmonic choruses. I can listen to this song on endless repeat.

As for the wonderful video they made for the song, Wons drew inspiration from some of the quirky and popular one-shot videos by American alternative pop-rock band OK Go, and challenged himself to dance on film. With the help of choreographer friends, Wons and his band spent months coming up with inventive dance steps for a non-dancer like himself, with two of the guys guiding him through an entertaining routine as if he were a human-sized marionette. Once they mastered the choreography, they turned their attention to finding the right location to shoot the video, which in Los Angeles is always a challenge, especially when you’re on a tight budget. They settled on a laundromat, where they managed to film the sequence in one shot. 

In other notable chart developments, “Neverender” by French electronic music duo Justice and Australian band Tame Impala, “A Tear in Space (Airlock)” by English alternative pop-rock band Glass Animals and “Bobby Sox” by legendary punk-pop rock band Green Day, each move up two spots to #s 3, 4 and 5. “Gild the Lily” by Michigan-based singer-songwriter and bluegrass musician Billy Strings advances three spots to enter the top 10 at #10, while “So Cold” by New Zealand alt-pop duo Balu Brigada jumps six spots to #16, making it the biggest upward mover this week.

The lone debut, entering at #30, is “Bad Dreams” by Georgia-based Teddy Swims (born Jaten Collin Dimsdale). The song is the first single from his forthcoming second album I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2), due for release on January 28th. “Bad Dreams” is Swims’ third song to appear on my chart; “Lose Control” went to #1 in February of last year, while “The Door” spent two weeks at #4 in November.

  1. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (2)
  2. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (1)
  3. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (5)
  4. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (6)
  5. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (7)
  6. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (8)
  7. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (9)
  8. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (3)
  9. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (4)
  10. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (13)
  11. GIVING UP – Michigander (12)
  12. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (10)
  13. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (11)
  14. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (16)
  15. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (17)
  16. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (22)
  17. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (20)
  18. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (21)
  19. DETROIT – Badflower (23)
  20. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (24)
  21. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (14)
  22. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (15)
  23. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (25)
  24. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (28)
  25. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (29)
  26. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (30)
  27. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (18)
  28. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (19)
  29. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (26)
  30. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 5-11, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's4 Comments

We’re now into the first full week of 2025, and last week’s top four songs remain in place, with Dexter and The Moonrocks‘ boisterous “Sad In Carolina” holding on to the top spot for a second week. The song is now in its fifth week at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, making it their most successful single yet. “The Faithful Heart” by Wons Phreely + The Horses, “A Fragile Thing” by The Cure and “Hardcore Romance” by Beach Weather remain at #s 2, 3 and 4. Entering the top 10 are “Arrow” by The Head and the Heart, finally breaking loose and jumping seven spots to #8 (the song has spent the past three weeks at #1 on the Billboard AAA chart), and “In The Living Room” by Maggie Rogers, which advances five spots to #9.

Making their debut this week are the enchanting “She Wants To Go Dancing” by Los Angeles-based alternative roots rock band Mt. Joy, entering at #29. The single was released last October, but took a while to appear on my chart, unfortunately. It’s their sixth song to appear on my Top 30. The second debut, at #30, is “People Watching” by English singer-songwriter Sam Fender. Released in November, the song has a pleasing and fast-paced anthemic groove similar to his 2021 hit “Seventeen Going Under”, which went to #1 on my chart.

  1. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (1)
  2. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (2)
  3. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (3)
  4. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (4)
  5. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (7)
  6. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (8)
  7. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (10)
  8. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (15)
  9. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (14)
  10. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (5)
  11. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (6)
  12. GIVING UP – Michigander (16)
  13. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (20)
  14. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (9)
  15. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (11)
  16. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (18)
  17. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (19)
  18. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (12)
  19. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (13)
  20. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (22)
  21. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (23)
  22. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (27)
  23. DETROIT – Badflower (24)
  24. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (25)
  25. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (26)
  26. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (21)
  27. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (17)
  28. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (30)
  29. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (N)
  30. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (N)

Top 30 Songs for Dec. 29, 2024 – Jan. 4, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments
Photo of Dexter and The Moonrocks from their Facebook account

It’s hard to believe we’re sailing into 2025, and I think it’s highly appropriate to paraphrase Bette Davis (as Margo Channing in the 1950 film classic All About Eve) here by saying “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy year!”

Hailing from Abilene, Texas, four-piece rock band Dexter and the Moonrocks is comprised of James Tuffs on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Ryan Anderson on lead guitar and backing vocals, Ty Anderson on bass, and Fox on drums and backing vocals. According to their website bio, they were formed when “a former fry cook, oil field operator, concrete surface decorator and kids’ baseball coach met up in a small town in West Texas and started playing country western music together (as one does in small town West Texas). But something didn’t feel right – so their roots in country began to cross-pollinate with the rock and grunge music they heard their parents playing at home. ‘Grunge and country are honestly so similar,’ says Fox. ‘Look at Johnny Cash’s cover of ‘Hurt’ by Nine Inch Nails. Both speak to the oppressed and the depressed – country with twang and grunge with a bite. A pair of boots can mean cowboy or combat. We are huge fans of artists like Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and Noah Kahan – and when you take that sound and plug it into amps with electric guitars, you get Dexter and the Moonrocks. We took a bet on ourselves, and it’s paying off immensely,’ he continues. ‘We believed we had something special, and if we could just get people to pay attention they’d fall in love, and we did just that.’ ‘It feels like a fever dream, and it’s definitely helped the health of my knees’, says Ty’s cousin guitarist Ryan Anderson, who never plans to decorate concrete again.”

Describing their sound as “sad cowboy music”, they released their debut single “Couch” (which has been streamed over 17 million times on Spotify alone) in late August 2021, followed by their self-titled EP that November. The rousing ear worm “Sad in Carolina”, one of six songs featured on their latest EP Western Space Grunge, released on Nashville-based label Severance Records this past July, is my new #1 song in a week that straddles the new year. Judging from their prodigious social media posts, the guys appear to have a wicked sense of humor. And on their Spotify account, they wryly state “Our entire lives we dreamed of being pool cleaners, but we guess this will work.” I’m confident it most definitely will!

In other chart developements of note, the endearing “The Faithful Heart” by Wons Phreely + The Horses – which I love with all my heart – moves up two spots to second place, while “Bobby Sox” by Green Day advances two spots to enter the top 10 at #10. Debuting this week are two songs, the first of which, entering at #27, is the delicious “So Cold” by New Zealand alt-pop duo Balu Brigada, the music project of multi-instrumentalist writer/producer brothers, Henry and Pierre Beasley. The song was released last June, but I only learned about it – and them – a few months ago when it appeared on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. I honestly liked it when I first heard it, but inexplicably, it’s taken until now for me to add it on my chart. I now love it, along with many of their songs. Balu Brigada opened for twenty one pilots on the North American leg of their Clancy World Tour, which ran from mid-August to mid-October.

The second debut, coming in at #30, is the enchanting “Afterlife” by Sharon Van Etten, along with her backing band The Attachment Theory (consisting of percussionist Jorge Balbi, bassist Devra Hoff, and multi-instrumentalist Teeny Lieberson). The song is the lead single from her forthcoming seventh studio album Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, due for release February 7, 2025. I love Van Etten’s voice, and it’s her fourth song to appear on my chart, the previous three being “Seventeen” in 2019, “Like I Used To” (with Angel Olsen) in 2021 and “Mistakes” in 2022.

  1. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (2)
  2. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (4)
  3. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (1)
  4. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (3)
  5. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (5)
  6. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (6)
  7. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (8)
  8. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (10)
  9. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (7)
  10. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (12)
  11. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (9)
  12. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (13)
  13. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (14)
  14. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (15)
  15. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (16)
  16. GIVING UP – Michigander (17)
  17. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (11)
  18. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (20)
  19. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (21)
  20. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (22)
  21. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (24)
  22. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (25)
  23. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (26)
  24. DETROIT – Badflower (28)
  25. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (29)
  26. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (30)
  27. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (N)
  28. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (18)
  29. KINKY – bby (19)
  30. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 22-28, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's6 Comments
Photo of the Cure in concert by Thorsten Samesch

We’ve reached the last full week of 2024, and the Cure‘s “A Fragile Thing” remains at #1 on my Top 30 for a second week. Dexter and The Moonrocks also hold at #2 for a second week with “Sad in Carolina, while Beach Weather moves into third place with “Hardcore Romance”. “The Faithful Heart” by Wons Phreely + The Horses climbs four spots to #4, while “Favourite” by Fontaines D.C. moves down two to #5. “A Tear in Space (Airlock)” by Glass Animals moves up three spots to enter the top 10 at #10.

Three songs make their debut this week, beginning with “Detroit” by Los Angeles-based alternative hard rock band Badflower. Released this past summer, the song took a while to fully grow on me, which is weird since it’s a really good, high-energy anthem. It’s their second song to appear on my chart, the first being their 2018 masterpiece “Ghost”, which peaked at #2 and ranks #21 on my 100 Best Songs of 2018 list. Formed in 2015, the band is still comprised of the four original founding members singer/guitarist Josh Katz, lead guitarist Joey Morrow, bassist Alex Espiritu and drummer Anthony Sonetti.

Entering at #29 is another song that’s been out awhile, “Sailor Song” by American singer-songwriter Gigi Perez. (Coincidentally, it was released on July 26, the same day as Badflower’s “Detroit”.) She’s been putting out music since 2021, but “Sailor Song” is her first song to chart after going viral on TikTok a few months ago. It’s reached #1 in the UK, Ireland and Latvia, and the top five in New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the Billboard Hot Rock and Alternative Songs chart. Thus far, it’s reached #22 on the Hot 100. The infectious and endearing song is a love ballad about falling for a woman who looks like the actress Anne Hathaway.

The third debut is “Day & Night”, by London-based singer-songwriter Oli Barton. A supremely talented artist, Barton’s made numerous appearances on my Top 30, most recently this past fall with his previous single “You Just Played My Mind”, which spent 15 weeks on my chart. I’ve loved every single one of his releases, and the ebullient “Day & Night” is no exception!

  1. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (1)
  2. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (2)
  3. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (4)
  4. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (8)
  5. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (3)
  6. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (5)
  7. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (6)
  8. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (9)
  9. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (7)
  10. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (13)
  11. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (11)
  12. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (12)
  13. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (16)
  14. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (17)
  15. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (18)
  16. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (19)
  17. GIVING UP – Michigander (20)
  18. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (10)
  19. KINKY – bby (14)
  20. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (22)
  21. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (23)
  22. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (24)
  23. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (15)
  24. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (26)
  25. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (29)
  26. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (30)
  27. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (21)
  28. DETROIT – Badflower (N)
  29. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (N)
  30. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 15-21, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

For more than 40 years, English alternative goth rock band The Cure have masterfully captured both the joyous highs and painful depths of love, loss and existential angst in their music, and their latest single “A Fragile Thing” is a shining example of that, as well as a strong testament to their enduring creativity and relevance. Released on October 9, the song was the second single (after the epic “Alone”) from their 14th studio album Songs of a Lost World, their first new material in 16 years since the release of 4:13 Dream in 2008. Entirely written, composed, and arranged by The Cure front man Robert Smith, the album was originally recorded and intended for release in 2019, and is the band’s first album to feature Reeves Gabrels, who joined as a full-time member in 2012, on guitar. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Songs of a Lost World has received universal acclaim, based on a weighted average score of 93 out of 100 from 23 critic scores.

Like all songs on the album, “A Fragile Thing” reflects the darker sentiments Smith was feeling after the loss of his mother, father and brother in quick succession. Nevertheless, he tried to keep the album “universal” in its themes, stating “So even though most of the songs are very personal, they’re not things that only happen to me.” In an October YouTube interview, he stated that he had struggled to write “A Fragile Thing”, saying it was originally a very different song titled “Kill The Sun”, but that it “mutated into this song, which is very specific to me, I suppose. “But I’m hoping that it resonates with other people because love is a universal thing.” He further explained that “A Fragile Thing” is “the ‘love song’ of the album, but not really a love song in the way that [1989’s] ‘Lovesong’ is a love song. It’s about how love is the most enduring of emotions. It’s the most powerful emotion, and it’s incredibly resilient. And yet at the same time, incredibly fragile.” The hauntingly beautiful song becomes the latest to top my Weekly Top 30 chart.

In other chart developments of note, “Sad in Carolina” by Dexter and The Moonrocks advances two spots to #2. Entering the top 10 are “The Faithful Heart” by Wons Phreely + The Horses, which climbs four spots to #8, and “Neverender” by French electronic music duo Justice and Australian band Tame Impala, moving up two spots to #9.

Two songs make their debut, the first of which, entering at #29, is “Darkerside” by American singer-songwriter David Kushner. Born in Chicago and now based in Los Angeles, the baritone-voiced artist began releasing singles in 2021, and the following year, his song “Mr. Miserable” went viral on TikTok. Though it didn’t chart in the U.S., it reached the top 40 in several European countries, Australia and New Zealand. His 2023 single “Daylight” also went viral on TikTok, becoming an even bigger hit, reaching #1 in the Netherlands, Switzerland and New Zealand and peaking at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been streamed over 1.3 billion times on Spotify alone. The anthemic “Darkerside”, along with “Daylight”, Mr. Miserable”, and his previous singles, are featured on his debut album The Dichotomy, which was released August 30th. The song has already spent 10 weeks on the Alternative Airplay chart, the past three at #23.

Entering at #30 is “You’re My Drug”, the latest single by Northern Virginia-based Talk in Waves, the music project of the very talented and affable singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mimikos. He’s been a long-time favorite of mine, and “You’re My Drug” is his eighth song to appear on my Top 30 chart. Five of them have gone all the way to #1, most recently his previous single “Like You Do” this past September. “You’re My Drug” is a sexy rocker, featuring an edgier, harder-driving sound for him, and I like it!

  1. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (2)
  2. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (4)
  3. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  4. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (5)
  5. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (3)
  6. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (7)
  7. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (6)
  8. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (12)
  9. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (11)
  10. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (9)
  11. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (13)
  12. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (14)
  13. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (16)
  14. KINKY – bby (15)
  15. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (8)
  16. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (18)
  17. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (19)
  18. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (20)
  19. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (21)
  20. GIVING UP – Michigander (22)
  21. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (10)
  22. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (24)
  23. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (26)
  24. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (29)
  25. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (17)
  26. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (30)
  27. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (25)
  28. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (23)
  29. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (N)
  30. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 8-14, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments
Photo by Theo Cottle

Fontaines D.C. remain on top for a third week with their heartwarming “Favourite”, while The Cure switches places with Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars as “A Fragile Thing” moves up a notch to #2 and “Die With A Smile” drops to #3. Dexter and The Moonrocks jump five spots to #4 with their bombastic earworm “Sad in Carolina”, while Beach Weather move up two spots with their sultry “Hardcore Romance” to round out the top five. The wonderful “The Faithful Heart” by Los Angeles-based Wons Phreely + The Horses is this week’s biggest upward mover, leaping 16 spots to #12.

Making their debut are songs by two acts who are totally new to me. The first, entering at #29, is “Gild the Lily” by Michigan-based singer-songwriter and bluegrass musician Billy Strings. Born William Lee Apostol, he was given his stage name Billy Strings from his aunt, who recognized his impressive skills playing multiple traditional bluegrass instruments. He’s been releasing music as a solo artist since 2017, and has won numerous music awards, including a Grammy in 2021 for Best Bluegrass Album for his second album Home. The pleasing “Gild the Lily” is from his fourth album Highway Prayers, a 20-track colossus released this past September.

Entering at #30 is the boisterous “Peace Song” by English techno punk band Fat Dog. Formed in South London in 2020, the band consists of Joe Love, Chris Hughes, Morgan Wallace, Jacqui Wheeler and Johnny ‘Doghead’ Hutch. They released their debut seven-minute long single “King of the Slugs” in 2023, followed by a number of singles which culminated in the release of their debut album WOOF. this past September. Their latest single “Peace Song” dropped November 21st, and it was love at first listen for me.

  1. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (3)
  3. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (2)
  4. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (9)
  5. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (7)
  6. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (6)
  7. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (8)
  8. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (4)
  9. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (10)
  10. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (5)
  11. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (12)
  12. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (28)
  13. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (15)
  14. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (16)
  15. KINKY – bby (17)
  16. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (18)
  17. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (11)
  18. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (21)
  19. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (22)
  20. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (23)
  21. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (24)
  22. GIVING UP – Michigander (25)
  23. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (13)
  24. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (26)
  25. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (14)
  26. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (30)
  27. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (19)
  28. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (20)
  29. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (N)
  30. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 1-7, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

As its title would suggest, my favorite song again this week is “Favourite” by Irish band Fontaines D.C., who’ve also become one of my favorite bands. And from posts I’ve read, on the strength of their latest album Romance, they’ve become the favorite of many others as well. In an interview with Fontaines D.C. front man Grian Chatten in September on his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music, Elton John told Chatten “For me, you’re the best band out there at the moment. You seem to have found your feet with this album in such a big way… it’s a brilliant record. I think this album takes you – and I’ve been around for a long time – to a different level, and it’s going to stay around for a long, long time. But what’s more important about it: the music is really, really, really special. Congratulations on everything, Grian. It’s bloody wonderful.” I couldn’t agree more. “Favourite” is the second song from Romance – and Fontaines D.C. – to top my Weekly Top 30, following “Starburster”, which spent three weeks at #1 this past August.

In other noteworthy chart developments, the wonderful duet “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars climbs two spots to #2, while “A Fragile Thing” by legendary alternative goth-rock band The Cure jumps three spots to #3. Entering the top 10 are “Sad In Carolina” by Texas rock band Dexter and The Moonrocks and “Bothering Me” by Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko.

Two songs make their debut, the first of which is the heartwarming “The Faithful Heart” by Australian-born and Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Wons Phreely and his band The Horses, entering at #28. I wrote about the song and its delightful video a few days ago, which you can read here. The second, entering at #30, is “Routines In The Night” by twenty one pilots. It’s the third song from their latest album Clancy to appear on my chart, following “Overcompensate”, which reached #2, and “The Craving”, which spent three weeks at #1.

  1. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars (4)
  3. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (6)
  4. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (2)
  5. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (3)
  6. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (7)
  7. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (8)
  8. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (9)
  9. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (12)
  10. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (11)
  11. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (5)
  12. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (14)
  13. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (10)
  14. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (13)
  15. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (17)
  16. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (18)
  17. KINKY – bby (19)
  18. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (20)
  19. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (14)
  20. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (18)
  21. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (23)
  22. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (24)
  23. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (26)
  24. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (28)
  25. GIVING UP – Michigander (29)
  26. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (30)
  27. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (21)
  28. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (N)
  29. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (27)
  30. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (N)

Top 30 Songs for November 3-9, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments

Leon Bridges holds onto the top spot for a second week with his bucolic and soulful “Peaceful Place”, while “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish remain at #’s 2 and 3 for a second week. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars enter the top 10 with their duet “Die With A Smile”.

Perhaps the biggest music event of this past week was the release of Songs of a Lost World, the long-awaited fourteenth album by The Cure. The legendary English alternative goth rock band has undeniably had a massive influence on too many artists and bands to name over the past 40 years, so for them to release an album of all new material – their first new album in 16 years – is a momentous occasion. And more importantly, Songs of a Lost World does not disappoint, as Robert Smith (who’s now 65) and The Cure sound every bit as great and relevant as they ever have. The band teased the new album with the release of “Alone” in late September, a sprawling cinematic masterpiece running nearly seven minutes. They followed two weeks later with “A Fragile Thing”, an equally gorgeous song that enters my chart at #26.

The second, long-overdue debut this week is “Mind Game”, a lovely collaboration by Chicago-based singer-songwriter and author Collette Mclafferty and Spanish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer John Serrano, a hyper-talented artist whose music I’ve previously featured a couple times on this blog. Mclafferty wrote the lyrics and sang lead vocals, while Serrano composed the music, played all instrumentation, sang backing harmonies and produced the track.

  1. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (1)
  2. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (2)
  3. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (3)
  4. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (6)
  5. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (4)
  6. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (8)
  7. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (9)
  8. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (5)
  9. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (10)
  10. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (11)
  11. THE LIGHTHOUSE – Stevie Nicks (14)
  12. MESSY – Lola Young (7)
  13. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (16)
  14. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (17)
  15. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (19)
  16. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (23)
  17. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (20)
  18. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (12)
  19. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (13)
  20. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (22)
  21. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (24)
  22. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and the Moonrocks (27)
  23. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (15)
  24. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (28)
  25. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (29)
  26. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (N)
  27. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (18)
  28. KINKY – bby (30)
  29. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (21)
  30. MIND GAME – Collette Mclafferty & John Serrano (N)