Columbia – Page 2 – ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER

This is my first post in a week, as I’ve lost all enthusiasm or motivation for writing music reviews. But I can’t not post my Weekly Top 30. The beautiful poignant ballad “SNAP”, by Armenian singer-songwriter Rosa Linn (aka Roza Kostandyan), is my new #1 song. Rosa represented Armenia with the song at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 20th place. “SNAP” subsequently went viral on TikTok, reaching the top of the charts in Belgium, and the top ten in several European countries. In the U.S., the song also reached #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, where it recently spent seven weeks on top, but peaked at only #82 on the dismal Hot 100 chart.

“SNAP” was co-written by Rosa with Larzz Principato, Courtney Harrell, Allie Crystal and Tamar Kaprelian, with writing sessions taking place in both Los Angeles and Yerevan, Armenia. In an interview for Wiwibloggs, Rosa stated that the song is a personal story everyone can relate to: “I think we’ve all been at a snapping point, where it felt like there’s no way out and that the entire world is just crumbling down around you. You start questioning everything, including yourself. I have been there. And what I realized was that I had the strength to shape my reality – it just took getting out of my own way and finding inner-peace. It’s all about self-love and accepting that you are enough. Writing ‘SNAP’ was a form of therapy for me and I hope that it can be that for others who are also going through hard times.“

In other chart developments, “Crest of the Wave” by British band Foals, and “Tonight” by French alt-rock band Phoenix, with guest vocals by Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, enter the top 10. Five songs make their debut this week: “EDGING” by Blink-182, entering my chart at #26. Though the song has spent the last five weeks and counting at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart (Billboard has far too many charts, which to me dilutes the importance of most of them, but I digress…), it’s only now starting to grow on me, as I’ve never been much of a Blink-182 fan. The sweet “Then It All Goes Away” by Dayglow enters at #27; “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather debuts at #28, giving them two songs on this chart; “Dance for Me” by Brooklyn singer-songwriter and blog favorite Sam Rappaport enters at #29; and “Disorder” by Welsh rock band Columbia enters at #30.

SNAP – Rosa Linn (3)
PARTY4ONE – dwi (1)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (2)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (6)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (7)
CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (4)
BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (5)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (10)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (11)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (14)
I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (12)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (13)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (15)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (16)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (18)
SISTERS – pMad (8)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (17)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (19)
WET DREAM – Wet Leg (10)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (22)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (23)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (25)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYORE – Crystal Cities (24)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (27)
I.N.V.U. – Kid Kapichi (20)
EDGING – Blink-182 (N)
THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (N)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (N)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (N)
DISORDER – Columbia (N)

I’m back in Wales (having just featured Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna last week) to shine a spotlight on indie rock band Columbia, who released their new single “Disorder” on November 4th. The Cardiff-based act was formed in 2019 by long-time friends Ben Rowlands (lead guitar) and Craig Lewis (vocals/rhythm guitar), who had been in a handful of other bands both together and separately over the years. They released their debut single “Fall Into the Sun” at the end of 2019, followed by a number of singles over the next two years. While in the process of recording their debut album Embrace the Chaos in 2021, they brought on bassist Aron Stenning to complete their current lineup.

Columbia released Embrace the Chaos in March 2022, garnering positive reviews from both music writers and fans. They celebrated its release at a sold-out show at The Moon in Cardiff, and have since performed at such renowned venues as Camden’s Fiddlers Elbow, The Dublin Castle, and SWNDfest at The Bunkhouse, Swansea, as well as playing on several This Feeling shows supporting The Shakes and The Kairos (another band I’ve previously featured on this blog). The band will be performing this weekend at the sold-out Shiiine On Weekender 2022 festival at Butlin’s Minehead Arena in Somerset. Their set is scheduled for Saturday, November 12th.

Recorded at King’s Road Studios in Cardiff and produced by Andrew Sanders, “Disorder” marks a new direction for Columbia. Not only is the song their first to be written by lead guitarist Ben Rowlands, (their previous songs have been written by Lewis), it’s also their most powerful track yet. Sanders has called “Disorder” “the biggest sounding track I’ve made with a band“, while the band cheekily notes that the song’s “incredible wall of sound makes you wonder where on earth Ben has been hiding this behind his calm and quiet demeanour?“

The song is a darkly beautiful, cinematic anthem. Opening with ominous sounds of police sirens and helicopters circling overhead, suggesting unrest in the streets, our ears are suddenly hit with a barrage of gnarly guitars, grinding bass and thunderous drums, accompanied by Lewis’ commanding vocals. I love the song’s portentous swirling melody, and the intricate guitar work – punctuated here and there with delicate acoustic notes, only to explode into a wailing solo in the bridge – is spectacular.

My take as to the song’s meaning is that it speaks to the addictive nature of public protests and disorder in the streets, how easily people can become attracted to them by the adrenaline rush from participating in such events that usually involve intense anger and/or passion for a particular cause. We’ve seen how these public protests can sometimes feed upon themselves, growing larger and out of control as crowds grow and tempers rise: “I’m breaking the silence. I feel my fear running. Don’t want to believe it, but everything is changing The colors are fading, the sound around me rising, climbing higher and higher and higher. I feel it, I need it, the streets are in disorder. Addiction, a feeling I couldn’t ever be there. I had it, I want it. The streets are in disorder, climbing higher and higher and higher.“

“Disorder” is a phenomenal track, nicely showcasing Columbia’s continued growth as a band.