Tag: Gooseberry

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

GOOSEBERRY – Single Review: “Dying To Meet You”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews10 Comments

One of the finest acts to emerge from the crowded New York City music scene in recent years is Brooklyn-based trio Gooseberry. Originally formed as a four-piece in 2019, the band now consists of the very talented Asa Daniels (guitar, vocals), Evin Rossington (drums), and Will Hammond (bass). Together they blend indie rock, R&B and light jazz to create their own distinctive and sophisticated style of alternative rock. On the strength of their outstanding music catalog and high-energy live shows, the charismatic trio have built quite a following of loyal fans throughout greater New York region and beyond.

Photo of Will, Evin and Asa by Alex SK Brown

Gooseberry has released a fair amount of music since 2020, including two EPs, Broken Dance (2022) and Validate Me (2023), as well as numerous singles. I love their music, and have previously featured them twice on this blog. Two of their songs, “Sleep” and “Orbit”, spent many weeks on my Top 30 chart, with the former ranking #29 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list and the latter, which has been streamed more than 300,000 times on Spotify, ranking #95 among my 100 Best Songs of 2023.

Their latest single, which dropped Friday, June 14th, is “Dying To Meet You“, which follows their provocative ripsnorter “Kikiyon”, a song “challenging the absurdity of debating trivial matters and calling for prioritizing unity over frivolous disputes, also exploring the deep personal connection to Jewish culture and the significance of owning one’s name, rejecting attempts to control their identity.” Both songs will be included on their forthcoming debut album All My Friends Are Cattle.

“Dying To Meet You” is both sonically stunning and savage, a dangerous combination that makes for a very exciting listen. Written by Asa Daniels, the track was produced and engineered by Colin Bryson, with drums engineered by Jimmy Meslin, mixed by Phil Joly and mastered by Jennica Best. The song opens rather tentatively, with Asa’s beautiful gentle vocals accompanied by his shimmery strummed guitar. The music quickly expands with an ominous drumbeat, which is soon joined by Will’s throbbing bassline, Evin’s assertive drums and Asa’s gnarly guitar notes, all of which transform the song into a glorious and grungy psychedelia-tinged tour de force. Asa’s normally soothing vocals grow more impassioned along with the music, rising to fearsome screams in the choruses, courtesy of a tiny handheld distortion mic their producer Colin brought into the studio for Asa to scream into, which he says was very cathartic. It’s cathartic for us listeners too, leaving us speechless and spent by song’s end. I love this song and I love this band!

About “Dying To Meet You”, Asa elaborates: “With the obvious disclaimers that 1) art is whatever you make of it, and 2) I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about nearly 100% of the time, here’s my take on the song: It’s about death. Or maybe life? Certainly one of the two. Maybe both. Look, none of us knows much about what happens next, but some of us certainly feel a lot more confident in their answer than others and that never made much sense to me. I’ve always been fascinated by the human need to know about what happens after all this. In prior centuries, there were whole industries built around guaranteeing salvation (and to some extent, there still are)! That this song is mysterious and eerie is the point. It should feel like something beyond explanation is peering over your shoulder waiting for you to turn your head around because it is! I wanted the song to sonically convey the sense of unease we all feel when thinking a little too deeply about closing our eyes for good.”

When the curtain starts to open
And everyone is gone
You feel so damn cold
You burn like the sun 
Keep your head above the water
Keep your eyes beneath the gun 

You’ll never be so certain
I’m pretty sure I am
But who could ever bend
The will of a man?
Keep your eyes up to the heavens
Like you’d ever understand

You’re here for a lifetime 
Then you’re not 

I, I’m dying to meet you
I, I’m dying to meet you
Again, I am

So come out of the shadows
I know that’s where you live
Because it’s easier to steal life
Than it is to give 
Keep your eyes down to the heavens
Like you know just where it is

You’re here for a lifetime
Then you’re not

I, I’m dying to meet you
Well I, I’m dying to meet you
There

I am dying to meet you
Well I am dying
I am dying to meet you
Again

You’re here for a lifetime
Then you’re not

I, I’m dying to meet you
Yes I am
I, I’m dying to meet you
Again, again, again
I, I’m dying to meet you
Well you know I am
I, I’m dying to meet you


The single cover art was created by Charlie Chalkin, Asher Reed and band bassist Will Hammond, and the colorful and trippy animated video was created by Austin Koenigstein and Melissa Morrissey.

Gooseberry’s Socials:  Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

Top 30 Songs for September 17-23, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

The wonderfully trippy and boisterous “Overrated” by Canadian artist dwi holds the top spot for a second week on my latest Top 30 chart. Sliding into second place is the enchanting love song “Kisses” by British indie dream pop band Slowdive. Songs by two of my favorite acts – “Walk Through the Fire” by Virginia-based singer-songwriter The Frontier, and “Good Vibrations” by Texas-based duo MISSIO – both climb four spots to #5 and #6, respectively. Moving up five spots and entering the top 10 are “Dial Drunk” by Vermont-based singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, at #8, and “Odyssey”, a breezy collaboration between French alt-rock band Phoenix and American singer-songwriter Beck, at #9. “Dial Drunk” has become a huge breakout hit for Kahan, and his version of the song with guest vocals by Post Malone, is currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay and Adult Alternative Airplay charts.

Three songs make their debut this week: “Under You” by the mighty Foo Fighters, at #28, the sultry love song “My Kinda Girl” by British collective The 23s (which I recently reviewed), at #29, and the sweet love song “Darling” by Canadian artist Western Jaguar, from his wonderful album Oblivion (which I also reviewed), at #30. 

  1. OVERRATED – dwi (1)
  2. KISSES – Slowdive (4)
  3. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (2)
  4. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (3)
  5. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (9)
  6. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (10)
  7. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (5)
  8. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (13)
  9. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (14)
  10. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (6)
  11. FRANCESCA – Hozier (15)
  12. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (7)
  13. BONES – HEALER (8)
  14. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (16)
  15. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (17)
  16. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (11)
  17. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (18)
  18. ORBIT – Gooseberry (12)
  19. WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (21)
  20. LOVING YOU – Cannons (22)
  21. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (23)
  22. WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (24)
  23. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (20)
  24. BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (25)
  25. OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (26)
  26. PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (30)
  27. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (19)
  28. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (N)
  29. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (N)
  30. DARLING – Western Jaguar (N)

Top 30 Songs for September 10-16, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

One of my favorite Canadian artists is dwi, the music project of singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Dwight Abell, an immensely creative, talented and imaginative guy with a totally original sound and an endearingly quirky vocal style that make his music so uniquely distinctive. Based on the outskirts of Vancouver, British Columbia, he’s also the longtime bassist for Canadian alternative/power pop band The Zolas. He’s released two phenomenal albums – Mild Fantasy Violence in October 2021, which explored feelings of disconnect from the everyday normalities of relationships, addiction, politics and environmentalism, and Zoo Life this past July, which addressed Dwight’s childhood experiences in foster care, which he equates with being “taken away to a zoo”. (I reviewed both albums, which you can read here and here.)

One of my favorite songs from Zoo Life is “Overrated“, an incredibly infectious track featuring a poweful foot-stomping groove, gnarly bass, spacey synths and dwi’s wonderfully-crazed vocals as he ticks off a number of popular things in culture, like VR, Top Gun, licorice and 69, as well as passion, anger and temper, he feels are overrated. I love the song so much it’s risen to the top of my latest Weekly Top 30 chart. It’s his third song to top my chart, the previous two being “Good Friend” and “Party4One”. The surreal video shows dwi as a kind of gaming character, reflecting his life-long love of video games.

In other chart developments, “Good Vibrations” by another favorite act of mine, Austin, Texas-based MISSIO, enters the top 10 at #10. The biggest upward movers this week are “Cannonballers” by Tennessee indie rock band Colony House and “Forgiving Ties” by Rhode Island alternative folk-rock band Deer Tick, both of which jump six spots to #16 and 17, respectively. The sole debut, at #30, is “Pull Me Through” by British rock duo Royal Blood. The song is from their newly-released fourth studio album Back to the Water Below, which dropped September 1st.

  1. OVERRATED – dwi (3)
  2. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (1)
  3. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (2)
  4. KISSES – Slowdive (6)
  5. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (5)
  6. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (4)
  7. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (7)
  8. BONES – HEALER (8)
  9. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (9)
  10. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (12)
  11. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (11)
  12. ORBIT – Gooseberry (13)
  13. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (14)
  14. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (15)
  15. FRANCESCA – Hozier (16)
  16. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (22)
  17. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (23)
  18. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (21)
  19. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (10)
  20. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (20)
  21. WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (24)
  22. LOVING YOU – Cannons (25)
  23. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (27)
  24. WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (28)
  25. BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (29)
  26. OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (30)
  27. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (17)
  28. WHY – Future Theory (18) 20th week on chart
  29. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (19) 22nd week on chart
  30. PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (N)

Top 30 Songs for September 3-9, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

As we slide into September, Beach Weather remain on top for a second week with their breezy love song “Pineapple Sunrise”. Lana Del Rey’s “Say Yes To Heaven” moves into second place, while Canadian artist dwi inches up a notch to #3 with his delightfully boisterous “Overrated”.

Three songs enter the top 10 this week, the first of which is the enchanting dream pop gem “Kisses” by British band Slowdive. After slowly inching up my chart since debuting five weeks ago, the song leaps 12 spots to #6. It’s the lead single from their stunning fifth studio album everything is alive, which dropped this past Friday, September 1st. Shockingly, though it was released in late June, “Kisses” hasn’t yet charted either in the UK or the U.S. “Bones” by British rock band HEALER, which features some of the best power drumming of any song I’ve heard in a long while, moves up three spots to #8. “Walk Through the Fire” by one of my favorite American indie singer-songwriters The Frontier also moves up three spots to #9. And after dropping two spots last week, Beck Black‘s exuberant “Puppet Show” enjoys a resurgence, moving back up three spots to #7.

Making their debut this week are “bad idea right?”, the latest single from American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, at #29, and “Overcome” by British alt-rock band Nothing But Thieves, at #30.

  1. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (1)
  2. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (3)
  3. OVERRATED – dwi (4)
  4. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (2)
  5. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (5)
  6. KISSES – Slowdive (18)
  7. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (10)
  8. BONES – HEALER (11)
  9. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (12)
  10. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (6)
  11. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (14)
  12. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (16)
  13. ORBIT – Gooseberry (13)
  14. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (19)
  15. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (20)
  16. FRANCESCA – Hozier (21)
  17. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
  18. WHY – Future Theory (8)
  19. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (15) 21st week on chart
  20. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (17)
  21. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (22)
  22. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (23)
  23. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (24)
  24. WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (25)
  25. LOVING YOU – Cannons (27)
  26. STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (9)
  27. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (28))
  28. WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (30)
  29. BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (N)
  30. OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (N)

Top 30 Songs for August 27-September 2, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's19 Comments

Frequent readers of this blog know that over the past year, American pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my favorite bands on the strength of their breezy, melodic sound and charming and colorful personalities. Their music just makes me feel happy! Originally formed in 2015, the band released two excellent EPs, then went on hiatus in 2017. Thankfully, they reformed in early 2022, and now consist of founding members Nick Santino (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Reeve Powers (bass, backing vocals), and relative newcomer Sean Silverman (lead guitar). This past March, they released their debut album Pineapple Sunrise, which is so good, I can honestly state that I love every track. The summery title track “Pineapple Sunrise” is my new #1 song this week, becoming the third Beach Weather song to top my Weekly Top 30 chart (the previous were “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” and “Trouble With This Bed”). All their videos are delightful, and the one for “Pineapple Sunrise” is no exception!

In other noteworthy chart developments, “Say Yes To Heaven” by Lana Del Rey advances three spots to #3, “Overrated” by brilliant Canadian artist dwi jumps five spots to #4, and “Call Me What You Like” by British indie rock band Lovejoy leaps six spots to #5. Debuting this week are “Running Out of Time” by American alt-rock band Paramore, at #28, and “When We Were Close” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, at #30.

  1. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (2)
  2. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (1)
  3. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (6)
  4. OVERRATED – dwi (9)
  5. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (11)
  6. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (4)
  7. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (5)
  8. WHY – Future Theory (3)
  9. STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (7)
  10. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (8)
  11. BONES – HEALER (12)
  12. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (13)
  13. ORBIT – Gooseberry (14)
  14. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (15)
  15. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (10) 20th week on chart
  16. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (17)
  17. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (18)
  18. KISSES – Slowdive (20)
  19. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (21)
  20. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (22)
  21. FRANCESCA – Hozier (23)
  22. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (24)
  23. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (25)
  24. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (26)
  25. WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (27)
  26. RESCUED – Foo Fighters (16)
  27. LOVING YOU – Cannons (30)
  28. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (N)
  29. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (19) 22nd week on chart
  30. WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (N)

Top 30 Songs for August 20-26, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments

“The Narcissist” by British rock band Blur maintains its grip on the #1 spot for a second week on my latest Top 30, while American pop-rock trio Beach Weather slide into second place with their charming “Pineapple Sunrise”. Entering the top 10 are the deliriously zany “Overrated” by Canadian singer-songwriter dwi, at #9, and “Rescue Me” by L.A. ska band Dirty Heads, re-entering at #10 after spending two weeks at #12. The song peaked at #3 a month ago on my chart, and is currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. The biggest upward mover this week is “Call Me What You Like” by British indie rock band Lovejoy, jumping six spots to #11.

Two beautiful songs make their debut this week; the first is the ethereal “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, which enters at #27. Written by Eilish and her brother Finneas for the motion picture Barbie, the melancholy but hopeful song has already topped the music charts in the UK, Australia, Ireland and Switzerland. The second new entry is the captivating “Loving You” by L.A. dream pop band Cannons, at #30. I can’t believe it’s nearly been a year since I saw them in concert.

  1. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (1)
  2. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (3)
  3. WHY – Future Theory (2)
  4. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (4)
  5. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (5)
  6. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (6)
  7. STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (7)
  8. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (8)
  9. OVERRATED – dwi (11)
  10. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (12)
  11. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (17)
  12. BONES – HEALER (13)
  13. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (14)
  14. ORBIT – Gooseberry (15)
  15. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (16)
  16. RESCUED – Foo Fighters (10)
  17. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (19)
  18. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (20)
  19. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (9) 21st week on chart
  20. KISSES – Slowdive (22)
  21. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (23)
  22. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (24)
  23. FRANCESCA – Hozier (25)
  24. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (27)
  25. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (29)
  26. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (30)
  27. WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (N)
  28. LEAVING – Au Gres (18)
  29. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (21) 21st week on chart
  30. LOVING YOU – Cannons (N)

Top 30 Songs for August 13-19, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's14 Comments

Formed in 1988, British rock band Blur went on to become one of the most successful bands of the 1990s, releasing six albums in that decade alone. They were far more popular in the UK than in the U.S., and though a few of their singles made the top 10 on the Billboard Alternative chart, I’m embarrassed to admit that I never heard of them until only a few years ago. Over the course of their career, they’ve released nine studio albums (seven of which reached #1 in the UK), five live albums, five compilation albums, one remix album, four EPs, 35 singles, 10 promotional singles and 37 music videos.

Though they disbanded in 2003, reunited in 2009, then went on a hiatus in 2015 that lasted seven years, Blur has always consisted of their original lineup of singer-songwriter Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their sound started out as a blend of Madchester (a musical and cultural scene that developed in Manchester in the late 1980s) and shoegaze, evidenced by their debut album Leisure, but for their next three albums, they transitioned to Britpop, a style influenced by English guitar pop acts like the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC. Their self-titled fifth album Blur, released in 1997, saw another stylistic shift toward the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, whereas their sixth album 13 (1999) saw them experimenting with electronic and gospel music. Their seventh album Think Tank (2003) continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was shaped by Albarn’s growing interest in hip hop and world music. After they disbanded, he focused on his very successful virtual band Gorillaz, which he’d created in 1998 and with whom he would release eight studio albums, three compilation albums, 11 EPs, one remix album, and 46 singles. (Gorillaz’ recent single “New Gold”, a wonderful collaboration with Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, spent three weeks at #1 on my Weekly Top 30 earlier this year,)

After Blur reunited in 2009, they released a series of live albums in quick succession, but it wasn’t until 2015 that they would release a new studio album The Magic Whip, which went to #1 in the UK, and became their highest-charting album in the U.S., peaking at #24 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. The band went on yet another hiatus after touring for The Magic Whip, only to reunite for a second time in 2022. They went on to record their ninth album The Ballad of Darren, which they released on July 21. The album’s beautiful lead single “The Narcissist”, which Albarn describes as “an aftershock record, a reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now“, is my new #1 song this week.

Two fine songs make their debut this week: “Cannonballers” by Tennessee-based indie rock four-piece Colony House, at #29, and “Forgiving Ties” by Rhode Island-based alternative rock-folk band Deer Tick, at #30. It’s the first appearance on my Weekly Top 30 for both bands.

  1. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (2)
  2. WHY – Future Theory (1)
  3. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (3)
  4. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (6)
  5. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
  6. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (8)
  7. STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (9)
  8. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (10)
  9. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (3)
  10. RESCUED – Foo Fighters (4)
  11. OVERRATED – dwi (14)
  12. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (12)
  13. BONES – HEALER (15)
  14. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (16)
  15. ORBIT – Gooseberry (17)
  16. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (18)
  17. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (19)
  18. LEAVING – Au Gres (11)
  19. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (22)
  20. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (23)
  21. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (13) 20th week on chart
  22. KISSES – Slowdive (26)
  23. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (27)
  24. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (28)
  25. FRANCESCA – Hozier (29)
  26. WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE – Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan (20)
  27. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (30)
  28. HELLO – GROUPLOVE (21)
  29. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (N)
  30. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (N)

Top 30 Songs for August 6-12, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's4 Comments

British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory remain at #1 for a second week with their exquisite song “Why”, while fellow longtime British rockers Blur slide into second place with “The Narcissist”. Beach Weather‘s title track from their wonderful album Pineapple Sunrise moves up two spots to #3. Entering the top 10 this week are “Say Yes To Heaven” by Lana Del Rey, at #8, “Stuck” by 30 Seconds to Mars, at #9, and “Puppet Show” by Beck Black at #10. This puts five women in my top 10 for the first time in recent memory. The biggest upward mover this week is “Overrated” by brilliant Canadian artist dwi, climbing seven spots to #14.

Three songs make their debut: “Odyssey”, a duet by American singer-songwriter Beck and French alternative pop rock band Phoenix, at #28 (the song is already #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart), “Francesca” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, (replacing his previous single “Eat Your Young” that drops off my chart this week), at #29, and “Daydreams and Algorithms” by British singer-songwriter Eleanor Collides (which I recently reviewed) at #30.

  1. WHY – Future Theory (1)
  2. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (4)
  3. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (5)
  4. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (2)
  5. RESCUED – Foo Fighters (3)
  6. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (6)
  7. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
  8. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (11)
  9. STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (12)
  10. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (13)
  11. LEAVING – Au Gres (8)
  12. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (9)
  13. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (10)
  14. OVERRATED – dwi (21)
  15. BONES – HEALER (18)
  16. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (19)
  17. ORBIT – Gooseberry (20)
  18. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (22)
  19. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (23)
  20. WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE – Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan (14)
  21. HELLO – GROUPLOVE (16)
  22. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (24)
  23. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (25)
  24. IN MY HEAD – Mike Shinoda & Kailee Morgue (15)
  25. SPELLBINDING – The Smashing Pumpkins (17)
  26. KISSES – Slowdive (29)
  27. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (30)
  28. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (N)
  29. FRANCESCA – Hozier (N)
  30. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (N)

Top 30 Songs for July 30-August 5, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's14 Comments
Photo by Alex Finlay

I’ve been a fan of British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory since early 2017, and love their intelligent songwriting and ace musicianship. Comprised of Max Sander on rhythm guitar and vocals, Chris Moore on lead guitar, Jacob Brookes on bass and Rohan Parrett on drums, they blend alternative and progressive rock, psychedelia, grunge, shoegaze and funk to create arresting songs characterized by complex melodies and arrangements, lavish instrumentation, and Max’s distinctive mesmerizing vocals. I’ve written about them and their outstanding music many times on this blog, and it’s been gratifying to see them mature and grow as artists. One of their singles “One and the Same”, from their 2022 debut album Future Theory, spent 18 weeks on my Weekly Top 30 and ranks #42 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list. They began releasing a series of new singles this past April, the first of which, “Why”, is a dramatic and beautiful song about a dysfunctional relationship that’s breaking apart. They’ve since dropped two more great singles, “Rage” and “Too Bad”, but “Why” remains my favorite. Now, in its 14th week on my Top 30 chart, it reaches the top at last.

In other notable chart developments, the top 10 contains the same 10 songs for the third week in a row, albeit in different positions. Lana Del Rey‘s “Say Yes To Heaven” is the biggest upward mover, climbing five spots to #11. Two songs make their debut this week: Entering at #29 is the captivating “kisses” by longtime British dream rock band Slowdive, which I learned about from Andy Peterson, a superb writer with great music taste who writes his own blog The Voice Of Unreason. Bringing up the rear at #30 is “Dial Drunk” by Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, who’s also represented on this list by “We’re All Gonna Die”, a duet with American singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun that sits at #14.

And now for a special rant about the Billboard Hot 100 and the questionable music tastes of the American public. Two weeks ago, Olivia Rodrigo’s “vampire” debuted at #1, which led me to believe she would enjoy a long run at the top. But I was terribly wrong, and her song has already fallen to #7. Meanwhile, the top songs on the chart are a catchy but throwaway pop song from Junk Kook, one of the members of South Korean K-pop boy band BTS, who sings about fucking his beloved seven days a week, accompanied by rapping by female rapper Latto. That is followed by three Country songs – Jason Aldean’s awful “Try That in a Small Town”, Morgan Wallen’s tiresome “Last Night” (which spent 12 weeks at #1), and Luke Combs’ remake of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”,  which I concede isn’t bad. The song at #6 is the horrific “fukumean” by American rapper Gunna. Whatever…

Here’s my far superior song list:

  1. WHY – Future Theory (5)
  2. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (1)
  3. RESCUED – Foo Fighters (2)
  4. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (7)
  5. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (6)
  6. PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (8)
  7. VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (9)
  8. LEAVING – Au Gres (3)
  9. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (4)
  10. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (10)
  11. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (16)
  12. STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (14)
  13. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (15)
  14. WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE – Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan (13)
  15. IN MY HEAD – Mike Shinoda & Kailee Morgue (11)
  16. HELLO – GROUPLOVE (12)
  17. SPELLBINDING – The Smashing Pumpkins (20)
  18. BONES – HEALER (21)
  19. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (22)
  20. ORBIT – Gooseberry (23)
  21. OVERRATED – dwi (24)
  22. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (25)
  23. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (26)
  24. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (27)
  25. DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (28)
  26. KID – The Revivalists (17) 20th week on chart
  27. EAT YOUR YOUNG – Hozier (18)
  28. I DON’T BELIEVE IN YOU – Brian Lambert & Jr Moz Collective (30)
  29. KISSES – Slowdive (N)
  30. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (N)