Top 30 Songs for August 11-17, 2024

On August 11, 2024August 11, 2024 By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

Photo of Fontaines D.C. taken from their Facebook account

Last week’s top seven songs remain in the top seven this week, with the irrepressible Fontaines D.C. holding on to the top spot for a second week with their darkly beautiful and bombastic tour de force “Starburster”. twenty one pilots and Beach Weather switch places, with the former’s “The Craving” moving into the #2 spot. Entering the top 10 are “Like You Do” by a long-time favorite of mine, Virginia-based singer-songwriter The Frontier, and “Lost In Space” by another long-time favorite band Foster the People. Fun fact: I’ve seen twenty one pilots, Beach Weather and Foster the People in concert.

“Oh No!” by The Decemberists jumps eight spots to #11, making it the biggest upward mover for a second week. Two songs make their debut, the first of which is “Messy”, a defiant song of self affirmation by English singer-songwriter and musician Lola Young. I heard the song on a recent post by fellow blogger Katie Hartless on her wonderful blog Yard Sale of Thoughts, and loved it at first listen. Though Lola Young has been recording and releasing music for the past five years, I wasn’t familiar with her or her music. Her provocative songwriting and smoky vocal style have earned her comparisons with the late Amy Winehouse. “Messy” is from her third album This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, which dropped June 21st. The second debut, entering at #30, is “downing street” by innovative London-based alt-rock band Brain Ape, who I’ve featured many times on this blog. I reviewed the song when it came out last month.

STARBURSTER – Fontaines D.C. (1)
THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (3)
HIGH IN LOW PLACES – Beach Weather (2)
WRECKAGE – Pearl Jam (4)
PANORAMIC VIEW – AWOLNATION (5)
END OF BEGINNING – Djo (6)
A FORETOLD ECSTASY – Mayflower Madame (7)
LUNCH – Billie Eilish (9)
LIKE YOU DO – The Frontier (11)
LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (12)
OH NO! – The Decemberists (19)
I HAD SOME HELP – Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen (14)
CREATURES IN HEAVEN – Glass Animals (8)
TOO SWEET – Hozier (10)
VICES – 5ilas & Shimmer Johnson (15)
RUN YOUR MOUTH – The Marías (16)
WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH (17)
PAYBACK – Aaron Frazer (18)
ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (20)
RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (21)
WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo feat. Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso, Gabrielle Marella and the voice of Tony Milillo (24)
STARGAZING – Myles Smith (28)
ON THE GAME – The Black Keys (13)
JUST WANNA SLEEP – Halfloves (25)
YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (26)
WAR – Healer (27)
BABY BLUE MOVIE – Cigarettes After Sex (29)
HONEY – Mr Bewlay (30)
MESSY – Lola Young (N)
DOWNING STREET – Brain Ape (N)

Top 30 Songs for August 4-10, 2024

On August 4, 2024August 5, 2024 By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's9 Comments

Irish alt-rock band Fontaines D.C. are one of the most exciting and interesting acts making music today, and I love their always arresting sound, thanks in part to charismatic lead vocalist Grian Chatten’s distinctive baritone Irish brogue. Formed in Dublin in 2017 and now based in London, in addition to Chatten, the band is comprised of Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan III (bass), and Tom Coll (drums). They’ve released three critically acclaimed albums since 2018 (none of which have charted on the Billboard 200 Album chart, which is a travesty), with a fourth, Romance, due for release on August 23.

“Starburster”, the bombastic lead single from Romance, rises to the pinnacle of my Top 30 chart this week. It’s one of the most sonically thrilling and complex songs I’ve heard in a while, and I could listen to it on an endless loop. It’s become their highest-charting single in the U.S. thus far and, shockingly, their first to ever make the UK and Canadian singles charts.

The song was inspired by a panic attack that Chatten suffered in London’s St Pancras tube station, and the jarring gasps heard at the end of each line suggest the gasps or quick breaths of someone experiencing a panic attack. To drive home their message, Fontaines D.C. start with a foreboding Mellotron string loop quickly followed by an elegant piano riff before the music explodes into a bombastic soundscape of stomping trip hop beats, sharp percussion and reverb-soaked twangy guitars. Chatten does a fine job with his commanding rapid-fire rapping of the lyrics, which he’d previously done on the collaborative single “Better Way To Live” with Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap. The song transitions to a calm interlude in the bridge with a majestic string arrangement and Chatten’s vocals now a warm and soothing croon, then finishes with a return of the stomping beats and jarring music. I love it!

The song’s rather unsettling video, directed by Aube Pierre, features Chatten performing a variety of daily activities in differing personas ranging from angelic to demonic, sometimes wounded and other times wearing a mask or wig. It’s as ambiguous and scattered as the song’s lyrics.

In other notable chart developments, Billie Eilish‘s “LUNCH” enters the top 10 at #9, and The Decemberists‘ “Oh No!” leaps nine spots to #19, making it the biggest upward mover this week. Three newish songs make their debut this week, starting with “Stargazing” by English singer-songwriter Myles Smith, entering at #28. He wrote the song along with Jesse Fink and Peter Fenn after being inspired while watching a sunset together in Malibu. The song has become his biggest hit yet, and first to chart in the U.S. Next up is “Baby Blue Movie” by Texas dream pop band Cigarettes After Sex. Released on June 4th, the captivating ethereal song was the third single from their recently-released third studio album X’s. The third new entry is the sensuous “Honey” by Welsh art pop artist Mr Bewlay, which I reviewed in late June. This is the first appearance on my chart for all three acts.

STARBURSTER – Fontaines D.C. (3)
HIGH IN LOW PLACES – Beach Weather (1)
THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (4)
WRECKAGE – Pearl Jam (2)
PANORAMIC VIEW – AWOLNATION (5)
END OF BEGINNING – Djo (7)
A FORETOLD ECSTASY – Mayflower Madame (9)
CREATURES IN HEAVEN – Glass Animals (6)
LUNCH – Billie Eilish (11)
TOO SWEET – Hozier (8)
LIKE YOU DO – The Frontier (14)
LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (15)
ON THE GAME – The Black Keys (10)
I HAD SOME HELP – Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen (16)
VICES – 5ilas & Shimmer Johnson (17)
RUN YOUR MOUTH – The Marías (18)
WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH (19)
PAYBACK – Aaron Frazer (20)
OH NO! – The Decemberists (28)
ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (23)
RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (25)
THE BREAK – Blame My Youth (12)
TOO MUCH – girl in red (13)
WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo feat. Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso, Gabrielle Marella and the voice of Tony Milillo (27)
JUST WANNA SLEEP – Halfloves (26)
YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (29)
WAR – Healer (30)
STARGAZING – Myles Smith (N)
BABY BLUE MOVIE – Cigarettes After Sex (N)
HONEY – Mr Bewlay (N)

MR BEWLAY – Single Review: “Honey”

On June 28, 2024June 28, 2024 By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments

Hailing from Cardiff, Wales is art pop artist Mr Bewlay, who on the strength of his singular creative talent, unorthodox musical approach, charismatic personality and flamboyant performances, has built a loyal following in Wales and beyond. He began his foray into the arts on the stage, honing his performance skills in such classics as West Side Story, A View From A Bridge and A Streetcar Named Desire. He later transitioned to music under the mentorship and guidance of the Forte Project, a highly respected Wales-based artist development program.

He self-released his debut single “Project Blue Team” in June 2019, and in the years since has dropped many more singles, as well as two EPs, Electric Reason in 2022 and Black Reason in 2023, the first two installments of his Reason Trilogy. Late last year, Mr Bewlay signed with the Welsh indie music label Dirty Carrot and began writing and recording songs for his forthcoming third EP of the trilogy, Against All Reason. The first single from the EP, the Depeche Mode-esque “Worst of All Women”, was released in March, and on June 21st, he dropped the second single “Honey“. When his label reached out to me about the song, I liked it instantly, and am eager to share it with my readers.

Recorded with Cardiff-based producer Lee House and guitars by musician Shish, “Honey” is a sweet pop song of love and adoration. Starting with a irresistibly sensuous and funky bass groove, Mr Bewlay and company layer breezy synths, lush piano keys and richly textured guitars, all of which create an intoxicating backdrop for his colorful emotive vocals. Sprinkled throughout the track are wonderful little touches like whistling and what sounds like a triangle instrument. I love the exuberant anthemic choruses in which Mr Bewlay’s vocals are backed by lilting female voices.

The cheeky lyrics are directed toward a romantic partner, describing the singer’s feelings of passion and desire with equal amounts of naughty and nice:

I’ll be your cardiac arrest
Steal the focus of your breath
Last night we danced in silver rooms
Spinning you round the open lights
Drowning in my eyes
I’ll be your prophet divine
Scream your feelings to the sky
Cos’ honey I like you
Honey the taste of you

Now call my bluff
And fall into my arms

Start to lose your breath
Feel the world in our embrace
I kiss that part you said you like
Shockwave through your spine
Made you come into the room
The focus you instilled
Could push through ennui

All that it took
Was this icy moment's look
You cast a penetrating thought
Vibrations through the void
And every woman, every man
Had a spell cast on their minds
Throughout the globe

Now call my bluff
Fall into my arms
And all of my love
Falls to dust

Let me lay
Lie, in your honey
Let me lay
And lie, in your honey
All that it took was a momentary look