Fall Out Boy remain at #1 for a second week with their monumental “Love From the Other Side”, while British band The Zangwills inch up to #2 with their cinematic “Backpatters and Shooters”. Entering the top 10 are “Tropic Morning News” by The National, jumping six spots to #6, “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do” by Darksoft, moving up two spots to #9, and “Pepper” by Death Cab for Cutie, which climbs three spots to #10.
Three great songs make their debut this week: “I Want You Dead”, a duet by blog and chart favorite Two Feet, along with his fiance Allie Cabal, entering at #26, “Kid” by New Orleans alternative/roots rock band The Revivalists, at #29, and “Paid Off” by another favorite of mine, London-based alternative pop-rock band Oli Barton & the Movement, at #30.
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (1)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (3)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (2)
PAGES – White Reaper (5)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (6)
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (12)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (9)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (4)
YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (11)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (13)
SUREFIRE – Wilderado (14)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (16)
GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (17)
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (7)
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (8)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (10)
SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (15)
SOFTEN – Alex Southey (19)
EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (18)
EYEZ – The Arcs (22)
WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (23)
FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (27)
MODERNISE – Slow Readers Club (28)
THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (29)
BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (30)
I WANT YOU DEAD – Two Feet & Allie Cabal (N)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (20) 21st week on chart
The first time I heard “Love From the Other Side” by rock band Fall Out Boy, I knew it would be a number one hit. And sure enough, in just four weeks it’s reached the top of my weekly chart (it’s also currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart). I love hard-driving rock songs with symphonic elements, so “Love From the Other Side” is right up my alley. It’s their first song to ever top my chart (as well as any Billboard chart), and I can say with certainty that it’s already my all-time favorite song by them. Their first new music release in four years, the song is the lead single from their forthcoming eighth studio album So Much (for) Stardust, due for release on March 24th. The song marks a return to Fall Out Boy releasing music under the Fueled by Ramen label.
The lyrics are filled with meanings open to interpretation, but overall, they seem to address the band’s internal struggles with their own stardom and success. According to a comment on Genius Lyrics, “The song [and] music video have a general theme of a new beginning. The last release from the band was ‘Mania’ from 2018. ‘Mania’ didn’t resonate very well with the audience, and the band didn’t release anything after 2019 outside of some collaborations. The ‘apocalypse’ is the failure of Mania and the following silence, with the new album being ‘the other side’ and a new beginning for their career, popularity, and music style.” ‘The apocalypse” can also likely be construed as a reference to the Covid pandemic. The imaginative video features band member Pete Wentz as an old man, reading a fantasy story to his granddaughter.
In addition to “Love From the Other Side”, there are so many fantastic songs out now, many by veteran artists and bands. The gorgeous “Transmitter” by Sea Power climbs four spots to #6, “Tropic Morning News” by The National rises five spots to #12, “New Gold” by Gorillaz, Tame Impala (who’s now recovering from recent surgery to repair a broken hip), and Bootie Brown jumps seven spots to #16, and “Ghosts Again” by Depeche Mode leaps 13 spots to #17.
Four songs make their debut this week: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus finally enters my chart at #27 after having just spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though I think she has a pretty good singing voice, I’ve never been much of a fan, as some of her slutty antics really turned me off. But after giving the song a careful listen the other day, it finally clicked with me and I have to concede that it’s a good song. With “Flowers”, Cyrus makes her very first appearance ever on my chart. The other three debuts include the boisterous “Modernise” by English rock band Slow Readers Club, at #28, the beautiful “The Walk Home” by one of my favorite American pop-rock bands Young the Giant, at #29, and the enchanting “Bluebell Wood” by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua, at #30.
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (3)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (4)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (2)
PAGES – White Reaper (5)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (10)
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (7)
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (8)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (9)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (6)
YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (13)
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (17)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (15)
SUREFIRE – Wilderado (16)
SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (14)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (23)
GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (30)
EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (20)
SOFTEN – Alex Southey (22)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11) 20th week on chart
Beach Weather maintain a firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week with their languid and sultry “Trouble With This Bed”, while their monster hit “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” also spends its 25th week on my chart. Both songs are featured on their wonderful new debut album Pineapple Sunrise. Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Lavagna‘s “Night Bus” holds at #2 for a second week, and Fall Out Boy‘s hard-driving cinematic gem “Love From the Other Side” continues its rapid climb, moving up five spots to #3. Entering the top 10 are the beautiful “Just Before the Morning” by Local Natives, at #9, and “Transmitter” by Sea Power, at #10.
The lone debut this week is “Ghosts Again” by legendary electronic band Depeche Mode, which now essentially consists of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. The song is their first new release since the death of co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher last May. About the song, Gahan said it “captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy“, while Gore noted it has “such an upbeat feel to it“. The duo has intimated in interviews that the song is a sort of tribute to Fletcher, touching on the fragility of life and the possibility of an afterlife, namely, that everyone will eventually turn into “ghosts again”. (Wikipedia) With “Ghosts Again”, the duo leave no doubt they can still deliver a stellar song after more than 40 years.
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1) 3rd week at #1
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (2)
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (8)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (4)
PAGES – White Reaper (5)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (3)
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (9)
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (10)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (11)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (12)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (6)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (7)
YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (15)
SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (16)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (17)
SUREFIRE – Wilderado (20)
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (21)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (13)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (14)
EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (22)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (19)
SOFTEN – Alex Southey (25)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (30)
EYEZ – The Arcs (27)
WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (28)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (23) 25th week on chart
There’s so much incredible music out now, and this week’s Top 30 is one of the best in a while, chock-full of songs I can honestly say I love. Beach Weather remain on top for a second week with their beautiful “Trouble With This Bed”, one of the many stellar tracks from their debut full-length album Pineapple Sunrise, due out this coming Friday, March 3rd. “Sex, Drugs, Etc”, another track to be included on the album, spends its 24th week on my chart. “Night Bus”, the wonderful autobiographical song by Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Lavagna, slides into second place, followed at #3 by “The Loneliest” by Italian band Måneskin. “Pages” by American rock band White Reaper climbs four spots to #5.
Three songs move into the top 10: the stupendous “Love From the Other Side” by Fall Out Boy, leaping 13 spots to #8; the sultry “Wild as the Wind” by British singer-songwriter HULLAH, entering at #9, and the lovely “Mayfly” by another British singer-songwriter Callum Pitt, at #10. The sole debut this week is “New Gold”, a glorious collaboration between British act Gorillaz, Australian act Tame Impala, and American rapper Bootie Brown. The song is from Gorillaz’ latest album Cracker Island, which dropped this past Friday.
In the space of only six months, alternative pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my favorite bands. Though they’d been around since late 2015, I first learned about them last summer when I heard their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which I loved at first listen. The song was originally recorded in 2016, and included on their debut EP Chit Chat, but wasn’t released as a single back then, and largely went unnoticed. After dropping a second EP What a Drag, the band went on hiatus as the three members, Nick Santino, Reeve Powers, and Sean Silverman, relocated to different cities and began working on their own solo projects. Fortunately for us, they reunited in late 2021, and began work on their forthcoming debut album Pineapple Sunrise, due for release on March 3rd. In the meantime, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” went viral on TikTok and became a huge hit on alternative radio, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. It’s also spent nearly six months on my Weekly Top 30, three of them at #1, and ended up at #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.
Last August, they started releasing a string of new singles from Pineapple Sunrise, beginning with “Unlovable”, their first new release in five years. They followed in November with the melancholy but beautiful “Trouble With This Bed”, which takes over the top spot of my Weekly Top 30. (They’ve since dropped two more singles, “Homebody” in January, which I reviewed, and “Hard Feelings” this past Friday the 17th.) “Trouble With This Bed” touches on a romantic relationship crippled by uncertainty and unfulfilled desires, acted out by a young couple in the accompanying video, interspersed with scenes of Beach Weather performing the song, all on the same bed. I particularly love the song’s beautiful languid groove, Nick’s dreamy layered vocals, and that dominant bassline.
I’m excited to add four marvelous new songs to my list this week: “Love From the Other Side” by rock veterans Fall Out Boy, their first new music in four years, entering at #21; “Soften” by Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Southey, whose latest EP Common Fantasies I also reviewed last month, at #28; “Eyez” by Black Keys member Dan Auerbach’s side project The Arcs, at #29; and “Weightless” by hyper-talented British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, her first appearance on my chart, bringing up the rear at #30.
A number of talented alternative, indie rock and hip hop bands and artists emerged on the music scene in 2013, including Lorde, The Neighbourhood, Capital Cities, Bastille, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Lana Del Rey. Other established artists such as P!nk, OneRepublic, Bruno Mars, Muse, Fitz & the Tantrums, Rihanna and Fall Out Boy also produced some memorable songs. My pick for the best song of 2013 is “Sweater Weather,” the achingly beautiful song of young love and lust by The Neighbourhood.
1. SWEATER WEATHER – The Neighbourhood
2. CAN’T HOLD US – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton
3. RADIOACTIVE – Imagine Dragons
4. SAFE AND SOUND – Capital Cities
5. OUT OF MY LEAGUE – Fitz & the Tantrums
6. JUST GIVE ME A REASON – P!nk featuring Nate Ruess
7. LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN – Bruno Mars
8. COUNTING STARS – OneRepublic
9. MADNESS – Muse
10. ROYALS – Lorde
11. THRIFT SHOP – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
12. BLURRED LINES – Robin Thicke + Pharrell + T.I.
13. HO HEY – The Lumineers
14. WAKE ME UP! – Avicii
15. STAY – Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko
16. GET LUCKY -Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
17. LITTLE TALKS – Of Monsters and Men
18. DON’T YOU WORRY CHILD – Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin
19. IT’S TIME – Imagine Dragons
20. ELEPHANT – Tame Impala
21. CARRY ON – fun.
22. WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN – Bruno Mars
23. WAYS TO GO – Grouplove
24. POMPEII – Bastille
25. I WILL WAIT – Mumford & Sons
26. SUMMERTIME SADNESS – Lana Del Rey
27. CATCH MY BREATH – Kelly Clarkson
28. MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DARK – Fall Out Boy
29. DAYLIGHT – Maroon 5
30. MIRRORS – Justin Timberlake
31. DEMONS – Imagine Dragons
32. TROJANS – Atlas Genius
33. ROAR – Katy Perry
34. MISS JACKSON – Panic! At the Disco
35. TREASURE – Bruno Mars
36. CLARITY – Zedd featuring Foxes
37. HOLD ON, WE’RE GOING HOME – Drake
38. THE MONSTER – Rihanna + Eminem
39. TAKE BACK THE NIGHT – Justin Timberlake
40. HARLEM – New Politics
41. SAIL – AWOLNATION
42. LEADER OF THE BROKEN HEARTS – Papa Roach
43. I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE – Taylor Swift
44. LOVE SOMEBODY – Maroon 5
45. A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES – Linkin Park
46. SAME LOVE – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert
47. BRAVE – Sara Bareilles
48. SWEET NOTHING – Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch
49. DIAMONDS – Rihanna
50. TRY – P!nk
2014 was an incredible year for music, especially alternative and indie rock. In my opinion, it was the best year for music since 1990, and I was actually hard-pressed to limit my list to only 100 songs. A number of great new albums were released, including “Ghost Stories” from Coldplay, “Supermodel” from Foster the People, “Turn Blue” from The Black Keys, “X” from Ed Sheeran, “Morning Phase” from Beck, and “In the Lonely Hour” from Sam Smith.
My favorite song is “Love Me Again” from John Newman, an amazingly talented soulful-voiced singer from Britain who has one of the best and most unique voices around today. He sings of the hurt he caused his lover, then passionately pleads for forgiveness to a driving breakbeat with powerful organ, drums and piano. The song is a musical masterpiece that was underrated in the U.S. It was released in 2013, but peaked on the charts during the first few months of 2014, so ends up on my list for that year.
Here is my list of the 100 best songs of 2014:
1. LOVE ME AGAIN – John Newman
2. DO I WANNA KNOW? – Arctic Monkeys
3. COME A LITTLE CLOSER – Cage the Elephant
4. TAKE ME TO CHURCH – Hozier
5. HAPPY – Pharrell Williams
6. SEASONS (WAITING ON YOU) – Future Islands
7. POMPEII – Bastille
8. A SKY FULL OF STARS – Coldplay
9. FEVER – The Black Keys
10. COMING OF AGE – Foster the People
11. RIPTIDE – Vance Joy
12. THE WALKER – Fitz & the Tantrums
13. MAGIC – Coldplay
14. CHANDELIER – Sia
15. RED EYES – The War on Drugs
16. BLAME – Calvin Harris featuring John Newman
17. PSEUDOLOGIA FANTASTICA – Foster the People
18. COME WITH ME NOW – KONGOS
19. STOLEN DANCE – Milky Chance
20. BEST FRIEND – Foster the People
21. TEAM – Lorde
22. SING – Ed Sheeran
23. BAD BLOOD – Bastille
24. I WANNA GET BETTER – Bleachers
25. SLEEPING WITH A FRIEND – Neon Trees
26. LOVE RUNS OUT – OneRepublic
27. WHY’D YOU ONLY CALL ME WHEN YOU’RE HIGH – Arctic Monkeys
28. GIANTS – Bear Hands
29. AFRAID – The Neighbourhood
30. STAY WITH ME – Sam Smith
31. BEST DAY OF MY LIFE – American Authors
32. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING – Foo Fighters
33. DON’T – Ed Sheeran
34. COUNTING STARS – OneRepublic
35. MY SWEET SUMMER – Dirty Heads
36. IT’S ABOUT TIME – Young the Giant
37. SOUTHERN SUN – Boy and Bear
38. DANGEROUS – Big Data featuring Joywave
39. LEFT HAND FREE – Alt-J
40. CAR RADIO – twenty one pilots
41. FALL IN LOVE – Phantogram
42. BLUE MOON – Beck
43. LATCH – Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
44. HABITS (STAY HIGH) – Tove Lo
45. WHO NEEDS YOU – The Orwells
46. RATHER BE – Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
47. BACK TO THE SHACK – Weezer
48. SUMMER – Calvin Harris
49. CENTURIES – Fall Out Boy
50. ALL OF ME – John Legend
51. THUNDER CLATTER – Wild Cub
52. LAZARETTO – Jack White
53. GIRLS/BOYS/GIRLS – Panic! At the Disco
54. I’M ONLY JOKING – KONGOS
55. LA LA LA – Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith
56. FOOLS GOLD – Fitz & the Tantrums
57. CARDIAC ARREST – Big Suns
58. MIDNIGHT – Coldplay
59. TRUE LOVE – Coldplay
60. THIS IS GOSPEL – Panic! At the Disco
61. WAIT FOR ME – Kings of Leon
62. UNBELIEVERS – Vampire Weekend
63. DIGITAL WITNESS – St. Vincent
64. STORY OF MY LIFE – One Direction
65. RUDE – Magic!
66. AM I WRONG? – Nico & Vinz
67. TIMBER – Pitbull featuring Ke$ha
68. GOTTA GET AWAY – The Black Keys
69. CHOCOLATE – The 1975
70. MAPS – Maroon 5
71. COOL KIDS – Echosmith
72. LOVE DON’T DIE – The Fray
73. SAY SOMETHING – Great Big World with Christina Aguilera
74. AFTERLIFE – Arcade Fire
75. WEST COAST – Lana Del Rey
76. GIMME SOMETHING GOOD – Ryan Adams
77. TALK DIRTY – Jason Derulo
78. ALL THE RAGE BACK HOME – Interpol
79. NOT A BAD THING – Justin Timberlake
80. BOOM CLAP – Charlie XCX
81. DO OR DIE – 30 Seconds to Mars
82. SUPERHEROES – The Script
83. DO YOU – Spoon
84. ALL ABOUT THAT BASS – Meghan Trainor
84. ANIMALS – Maroon 5
86. BURN – Ellie Goulding
87. ONE MINUTE MORE – Capital Cities
88. GIRLS CHASE BOYS – Ingrid Michaelson
89. FLAWS – Bastille
90. LET HER GO – Passenger
91. WEEKEND – Priory
92. HEY BROTHER – Avicii
93. MIND OVER MATTER – Young the Giant
94. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – Cage the Elephant
95. SIRENS – Pearl Jam
96. I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE – Rise Against
97. ANGEL IN BLUE JEANS – Train
98. YOUNG GIRLS – Bruno Mars
99. AIN’T IT FUN – Paramore
100. JUST ONE OF THE GUYS – Jenny Lewis
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 