blink-182 maintains a firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week with their heartwarming “ONE MORE TIME”, while Måneskin‘s boisterous gem “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” holds at #2 for a second week. I’ve fallen in love with Black Pumas‘ soulful “More Than a Love Song”, which jumps eight spots to #3 this week. The song has now spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard AAA chart. The sensuous “Loving You” by LA dream pop trio Cannons moves up two spots to #4, and Paramore‘s rousing “Running Out of Time” – which could be my theme song – moves up two spots to #5. Foo Fighters climb four spots to #6 with “Under You”.
Three songs debut this week: the ethereal beauty “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski, from her wonderfully-titled latest album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, at #28; “Wild”, the cool title track from the new album by prolific Texas singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, featuring contributions by Harmoni Kelly and Marc Schuster, at #29; and the enchanting “All I Die For” by Toronto, Canada indie rock trio SWiiMS, at #30. I was introduced to the song by fellow blogger The Alternative Mixtapes, a terrific blog worth checking out.
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (1)
HONEY (ARE U COMING) – Måneskin (2)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (11)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (6)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (7)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (10)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (8)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (3)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (4) 20th week on chart
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
BAD IDEA RIGHT ? – Olivia Rodrigo (12)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (13)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (14)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (15)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (16)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (17)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (18)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (19)
EVICTED – Wilco (20)
KISSES – Slowdive (9)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (22)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (23)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (24)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (27)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (28)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (29)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (30)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (N)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelly & Marc Schuster (N)
On this week’s chart, the beautiful and poignant autobiographical “ONE MORE TIME” by Blink-182 remains on top for a second week, while Måneskin‘s bombastic gem “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” slides into second place. “Under You” by the Foo Fighters enters the top 10, and “More Than a Love Song” by Austin, Texas neo-soul duo Black Pumas leaps 10 spots to #11. Making their debut are “”Good Old Days” by New Orleans roots rock band The Revivalists, (which is currently at #1 on the Billboard AAA Chart) at #29, and “Atomic City” by legendary Irish rock band U2, who’ve been putting out music for nearly 45 years, at #30.
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (1)
HONEY (ARE U COMING) – Måneskin (4)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (2)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (3)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (7)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (8)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (10)
KISSES – Slowdive (6)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (12)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (21)
BAD IDEA RIGHT ? – Olivia Rodrigo (11)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (13)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (14)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (16)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (18)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (19)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (20)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (22)
Though I’ve liked some of their songs, I’ve never really followed nor been a big fan of pop-punk band Blink-182. But like most people, I love happy endings, so even I am thrilled to see the original line-up back together again and still making music. Formed in 1992 by guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Scott Raynor, the Southern California act was originally named Duck Tape, then Figure 8, then Blink. Unfortunately, an Irish pop-rock band already had that name, and rather than engage in a legal battle, the band agreed to change their name by adding the number “182” – which they’d picked at random – and from that point forward, they’ve been known as Blink-182. Rayner was dismissed from the band in 1998 and replaced by Travis Barker, who remains the drummer to this day.
Despite their commercial and popular success, they’ve had more than their fair share of ups and downs over their 30-year history. After releasing five albums, three of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, as well as scoring two number one songs on the Modern Rock/Alternative charts, the combination of family commitments (all three guys now had children), the toll of touring and increasing artistic differences were causing tension among the band members. Consequently, they decided to go on a hiatus in early 2005 that ended up lasting nearly four years, with the band members not speaking with each other until October 2008, after Barker was involved in a plane crash that killed four people, leaving he and his collaborator Adam Goldstein as the only two survivors. Barker sustained second and third degree burns which ultimately required sixteen surgeries, multiple blood transfusions, and numerous skin grafts, and also resulted in him developing PTSD. Barker’s brush with death prompted him, DeLonge and Hoppus to come together, which led them to put aside their differences and reunite as a band.
Following their reunion, the band toured extensively and in 2011 released their sixth studio album Neighborhoods, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Nevertheless, tensions between the three persisted, with this period of Blink-182’s history characterized as dysfunctional by both Barker and DeLonge. Hoppus commented in a 2016 interview with Rock Sound: “Everything was always very contentious. There was always just a strange vibe … I knew there was something wrong.” DeLonge decided to leave the band indefinitely at the end of 2014, at which point Hoppus and Barker continued Blink-182 with Matt Skiba, of punk rock band Alkaline Trio, on lead vocals and guitar. That iteration of Blink-182 released two albums, California and Nine, the first of which reached #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and earned the band a Grammy nomination. One of the album’s singles “Bored to Death” also became their third song to hit #1 on the Alternative chart.
In June 2021, the band was hit with yet another setback when Hoppus confirmed that he’d been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and had been receiving treatment in secret for the previous three months. This led to him, Barker and DeLonge coming together yet again in response to a crisis, and the three decided to reunite for a second time in late 2022. Both their latest album One More Time and its heartwarming and poignant title track touch on their history and the challenges that brought them back together. In a sense, “One More Time” is a kind of successor to their 2004 hit “I Miss You”, which they name-drop in the lyrics. “I wish they told us, it shouldn’t take a sickness, or airplanes falling out the sky. Do I have to die to hear you miss me? Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye? / I miss you, took time, but I admit it. It still hurts even after all these years. And I know that next time, ain’t always gonna happen. I gotta say, “I love you” while we’re here.” The beautiful ballad, on which all three members sing, is my new favorite and #1 song on my Weekly Top 30.
In other notable chart developments, “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin moves up two spots to #4, “When We Were Close” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit enters the top 10, and charismatic British pop-rock band Wild Horse debut with their sweet new song “Attraction”, which I think is one of their finest songs yet.
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (4)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (2)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (1)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (6)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
KISSES – Slowdive (3)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (8)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (9)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (7)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (12)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (13)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (14)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (15)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (16)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (10)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (20)
OVERRATED – dwi (11)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (19)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (21)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (22)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (23)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (24)
Virginia singer-songwriter The Frontier holds the top spot for a second week with his beautiful and uplifting pop-rock gem “Walk Through the Fire”, while “Francesca” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier moves up a notch into second place. Blink-182‘s “ONE MORE TIME” moves up three spots to #4, and “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin continues its rapid upward trajectory, entering the top 10 at #6.
Three songs make their debut this week: Entering at #28 is “Angry” by TheRolling Stones, a pretty solid banger that shows the legendary rockers still have what it takes. Who would have ever imagined that Mick and Keith would still be going strong at 80 and 79, 60 years after they released their first single “Come On” in 1963.
The second debut is “Your Side of Town” by American alt-rock band The Killers, entering at #29. The synth-driven song was intended to be included on their next album, however, band frontman Brandon Flowers nixed that project. In an interview with British news publication The Sunday Times, he explained “Halfway through recording I realized, ‘I can’t do this’. I think this will be the . . . I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music anymore. This is the crisis I’m in. The Killers are my identity, and our songs fill seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music like ‘Pressure Machine’ [their 2021 roots rock album]. I found a side of myself writing it that was strong. This was the guy I’d been looking for! I’m as proud of ‘Hot Fuss’ as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.”
The third debut is “Run Away With Me” by L.A.-based indie rock band Cold War Kids (who I saw in concert in August when they opened for Tears for Fears), at #30.
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (1)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (3)
KISSES – Slowdive (2)
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (7)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (4)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (11)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (8)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (9)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (10)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (5)
OVERRATED – dwi (6)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (13)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (14)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (19)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (17)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (18)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (12)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (15)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (22)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (23)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (24)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (25)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (27)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (28)
EVICTED – Wilco (30)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (29)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (16) 22nd week on chart
A long-time favorite artist of mine, on both a professional and personal level, is The Frontier, the music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mimikos. Based in northern Virginia, the talented, gracious and hard-working guy skillfully blends elements of pop, folk, rock and electronica to create memorable and pleasing songs about love, relationships and loss. Delivered with comforting pitch-perfect vocals, Jake’s lyrics are honest and relatable; there’s just something about his songs that makes them so addictive, and I’ve found that they continue to grow on me more with every listen.
Since 2015, he’s released an impressive number of songs, and I’ve loved them all. Three – “Dark Places”, “Can We Go Back” and “Closer” – have reached #1 on my Weekly Top 30 charts, while “Sleep” and “It’s You” both reached the top 4. His latest single, “Walk Through The Fire“, now becomes his fourth single to top my chart. Serving up three minutes of infectious toe-tapping grooves and beautiful jangly guitar notes, the song is a plea to a loved one for a second chance: “Everyone falls sometimes. Dying to stay alive. Everyone has their fight. It’s how we walk through the fire.”
In other notable chart developments, the beautiful “Francesca” by Hozier moves up three spots to #3. A whopping four songs enter the top 10, the first of which is the poignant auto-biographical song “ONE MORE TIME” by pop-punk veterans Blink-182, which is also the highest-debuting song this week, entering my chart at #7. The other three, all of which advance 4 spots, are “Daydreams and Algorithms” by British artist Eleanor Collides, at #8, “Loving You” by L.A. dream pop band Cannons, at #9, and “Running Out of Time” by Tennessee pop-punk band Paramore, at #10. For a second week, “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin, is the biggest upward mover, jumping 10 spots to #11. And finally, besides Blink-182’s new song, the other debut is the wonderful “Evicted” by Chicago alt-rock band Wilco, which enters at #30.
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (2)
KISSES – Slowdive (1)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (6)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (3)
OVERRATED – dwi (4)
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (N)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (12)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (13)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (14)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (21)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (7)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (16)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (17)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (8)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (9) 21st week on chart
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (18)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (19)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (20)
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (10)
FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (11)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (23)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (24)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (25)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (26)
CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (15)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (28)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (29)
It’s hard to believe we’re now into October, as 2023 continues to speed past at a dizzying pace. British dream rock band Slowdive holds the top spot for a second week with their bewitching song “kisses”. Sliding into the #2 spot is “Walk Through the Fire” by Virginia singer-songwriter The Frontier, with “Good Vibrations” by Texas duo MISSIO right behind at #3. Otherwise, the top 10 songs remain the same, albeit with a bit of shuffling around. The biggest upward mover this week is “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin, leaping nine spots to #21.
For the second week, there are three new songs making their debut, though truth be told, there were seven or eight I wanted to add, but that would have meant dropping more off, which I couldn’t do. “More Than a Love Song” by Austin, Texas-based neo-soul duo Black Pumas (currently the #1 song on the Billboard AAA chart), enters at #28, “Summer of Luv” by Portland, Oregon-based rock band Portugal. The Man, featuring New Zealand psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, at #29, and “The Shameful” by British hard rock band Amongst Liars (which I reviewed a month ago today), at #30.
KISSES – Slowdive (1)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (3)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (4)
OVERRATED – dwi (2)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (6)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (9)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (7)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (8)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (5) 20th week on chart
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (10)
FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (12)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (13)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (14)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (15)
CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (11)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (18)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (19)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (20)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (21)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (24)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (30)
WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (17)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (26)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (27)
THE NARCISSIST – Blur (16)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (28)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (29)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (N)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man ft. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (N)
Without question, one of the prettiest songs of 2023 is “kisses” by British dream rock band Slowdive. Though they formed way back in 1989, I’m embarrassed to admit I was not familiar with them until hearing “kisses” this past June (which may partly be due to the fact they’ve never had a single chart in the U.S., and only two of their albums have appeared on the Billboard 200 Album chart). Consisting of Rachel Goswell on vocals, guitar and keyboard, Neil Halstead on vocals and guitar, Christian Savill on guitar, Nick Chaplin on bass guitar and Simon Scott on drums, they rose to prominence in the British shoegaze scene in the early 90s. (In a recent NPR interview with Scott Simon, Halstead explained that the term “shoegaze” originated in the early 90s when a journalist from the British music magazine Melody Maker coined it to describe bands such as Slowdive who didn’t have much stagecraft and spent a lot of time looking down at their shoes as they frequently turned their guitar pedals on and off.)
While their second studio album Souvlaki (1993) initially received mixed reviews, it has since been recognized as one of the best albums of the 90s and one of the greatest shoegaze albums of all time by Pitchfork, NME and PopMatters, among others. (Wikipedia) Slowdive broke up soon after the release of their third studio album Pygmalion in 1995, but reunited in 2014, and released their fourth studio album, the self-titled Slowdive, in 2017. They dropped their stunning fifth album Everything Is Alive on September 1st, which became their first top 10 album ever, reaching #4 in the Netherlands, #6 in the UK and #7 in Germany. Though I think it’s one of the best albums of 2023, it only peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Unbelievably, “kisses” has not appeared on any singles chart, however, it’s the new #1 song on MY chart! About the gorgeous album and song, Halstead told NPR: “A lot of the album is sort of about time passing. And I suppose, seeing as we’re all getting on a bit now, that’s one of the things we’re writing songs about… and ‘kisses’ is about having a second act, having a different chance in life.” Those dreamy synths, shimmery chiming guitars and sublime harmonies are simply breathtaking.
In other chart developments, “Walk Through the Fire” by Virginia singer-songwriter The Frontier, and “Good Vibrations” by Texas duo MISSIO move up two spots to #3 and #4, and Irish singer-songwriter Hozier enters the top 10 with his magnificent “Francesca”. The biggest upward movers are “Loving You” by L.A. dream pop band Cannons, and “Running Out of Time” by Nashville alt-rock band Paramore, both jumping 6 spots to #14 and #15, respectively. Debuting this week are “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” by American metalcore band Bad Omens, at #28, “Hold Me Like a Grudge” by American rock band Fall Out Boy, at #29, and “HONEY (ARE YOU COMING?)” by Italian rock band Måneskin, at #30.
KISSES – Slowdive (2)
OVERRATED – dwi (1)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (5)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (6)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (3)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (8)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (9)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (4)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (11)
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (7)
CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (14)
FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick(15)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (17)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (20)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (21)
THE NARCISSIST – Blur (10)
WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (19)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (22)
British four-piece The Zangwills are an immensely-talented indie band who make exceptional melodic pop-rock with a maturity of songwriting and musicianship as fine as many top big-name bands around today. Based in Cheshire, they consist of Jake Vickers (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ed Dowling (bass), Sam Davies (lead guitar) and Adam Spence (drums). They’ve been actively making music since 2017, when they were all still in their teens, and have released a total of 13 singles and two EPs. Listening to their back catalog, I can emphatically state that every one of their songs is outstanding.
I didn’t learn about them until summer 2021, when I was blown away by their magnificent single “Never Looked Back”. I loved it so much that it went all the way to #1 on my Weekly Top 30, and ended up at #24 on my Top 100 Songs of 2021 list. Now, after a long 15-week climb, they once again reach the top of my chart with their latest single “Backpatters and Shooters”. It’s a gorgeous track, with a haunting piano-driven melody, cinematic orchestration and achingly beautiful guitar work that make it one of their most impactful songs yet. Then there are Jake’s powerfully emotive vocals, which convey an incredible vulnerability as he croons the lyrics addressing the pursuit of love and how it far outweighs the importance of anything else: “You know that I’d be the first to plant roses in your face, and frame beauty with beauty. And though I’m dying of thirst, I’m still running in your race with the men who pat my back, and the men who would shoot me. And when I look up, if I squint I see love. But it’s never that much, and no it’s never enough.”
In other chart developments, “Transmitter” by Sea Power and “Tropic Morning News” by The National move up to #3 and #4, respectively. Entering the top 10 are “New Gold” by Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, at #9, and “Ghosts Again” by Depeche Mode, at #10. The biggest upward mover this week is “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, leaping eight spots to #14. The two debut songs this week are by artists making their first appearance on my chart: “Wolf” by New York indie/art rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, at #28, and “the perfect pair” by sweet-voiced Filipino-British singer-songwriter beabadoobee (born Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus), at #30. The song’s been out a while, and finally clicked with me.
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (2)
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (1)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (5)
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (6)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (3)
PAGES – White Reaper (4)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (7)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (10)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown (12)
GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (13)
SUREFIRE – Wilderado (11)
YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (9)
SOFTEN – Alex Southey (18)
FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (22)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (8) 19th week on chart
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
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 