Top 30 Songs for November 13-19, 2022

I still can’t get enough of Beach Weather‘s “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, and it holds the #1 spot on my chart for a third week. They also dropped a gorgeous new single “Trouble With This Bed” last Friday, November 11th, and it might very likely be topping my chart in the coming weeks. Veteran artist Gorillaz slides into #2, inching ever closer to the top spot with “Cracker Island”, featuring Thundercat. The delightful “Party4One” by Canadian artist dwi, and the hauntingly beautiful “The Echo” by British singer-songwriter A.A. Williams, advance a notch to #4 and #5 respectively.

Three songs enter the top 10 as older ones move down after their long runs: the exuberant “These Are the Days” by Inhaler, the bittersweet “Spit of You” by Sam Fender” and the poignant “SNAP” by Rosa Linn, each climbing three spots to #s 8, 9 & 10. Two new songs make their debut this week: “This is Why” by Paramore, which enters at #26. I’ve never been much of a fan of theirs, consequently this song took a while to connect with me. But I have to concede it’s pretty good. And entering at #30 is “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”, by one of my favorite Australian bands Crystal Cities, which I reviewed a few weeks ago.

  1. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (1)
  2. CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (3)
  3. BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (2)
  4. PARTY4ONE – dwi (5)
  5. THE ECHO – A.A. Williams (6)
  6. WET DREAM – Wet Leg (9)
  7. SISTERS – pMad (10)
  8. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (11)
  9. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (12)
  10. SNAP – Rosa Linn (13)
  11. MY BABE – Spoon (4)
  12. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (14)
  13. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (15)
  14. I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (16)
  15. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (17)
  16. BOY – The Killers (7)
  17. HERE TO FOREVER – Death Cab for Cutie (8)
  18. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (19)
  19. NATURAL BORN KILLER – Highly Suspect (22)
  20. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (23)
  21. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (24)
  22. I.N.V.U. – Kid Kapichi (25)
  23. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (26)
  24. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (27)
  25. TIPPA MY TONGUE – Red Hot Chili Peppers (21)
  26. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (N)
  27. PLEASE WRITE RESPONSIBLY – Granfalloon (18)
  28. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (30)
  29. TEK IT – Cafuné (20)
  30. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (N)

Top 30 Songs for November 6-12, 2022

The beautiful “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” by Beach Weather remains my favorite song again this week, while Steve Lacy‘s “Bad Habit” holds at #2 for a second week after spending two weeks at #1. “Cracker Island” by Gorillaz featuring Thundercat moves up a notch to #3, while “Party4One” by Canadian artist dwi, and “The Echo” by British singer-songwriter A.A. Williams, each climb two spots to #5 and #6. “Sisters” by Irish artist pMad enters the top 10 at #10. Debuting this week are the sultry and cinematic “Unholy” by British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, featuring German singer-songwriter Kim Petras, which enters at #27, and “sail away” by Los Angeles-based alternative pop trio lovelytheband, at #30 (I find it interesting that some artists and bands spell their names and songs in all lower-case letters).

  1. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (1)
  2. BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (2)
  3. CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (4)
  4. MY BABE – Spoon (3)
  5. PARTY4ONE – dwi (7)
  6. THE ECHO – A.A. Williams (8)
  7. BOY – The Killers (5)
  8. HERE TO FOREVER – Death Cab for Cutie (6)
  9. WET DREAM – Wet Leg (10)
  10. SISTERS – pMad (11)
  11. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (12)
  12. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (14)
  13. SNAP – Rosa Linn (19)
  14. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (15)
  15. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (16)
  16. I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (17)
  17. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (18)
  18. PLEASE WRITE RESPONSIBLY – Granfalloon (9)
  19. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (21)
  20. TEK IT – Cafuné (13)
  21. TIPPA MY TONGUE – Red Hot Chili Peppers (23)
  22. NATURAL BORN KILLER – Highly Suspect (25)
  23. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (26)
  24. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (27)
  25. I.N.V.U. – Kid Kapichi (28)
  26. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (29)
  27. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (N)
  28. BITTER – Wild Horse (20)
  29. SCARED TOGETHER – Silversun Pickups (30)
  30. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (N)

Top 30 Songs for October 30-November 5, 2022

Photo by Kirsten Barnett

It’s not often I fall in love with a song the moment I hear it (it usually takes a couple of listens for most songs to grow on me, even from artists and bands I love), but I fell head over heels for the gorgeous “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” by Beach Weather the instant it hit my ears. I’m certain I’ve listened to it over 100 times on Spotify! Interestingly, the song was originally recorded in 2016, and was featured on their debut EP Chit Chat. After releasing 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.

They reunited late last year, and began recording their forthcoming debut album Pineapple Sunrise, featuring their single “Unlovable”, which dropped August 11, their first release in five years. In the meantime, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” went viral on TikTok, and started getting airplay on AltNation and alternative radio stations. I was immediately struck by the song’s dreamy melody, Nick’s captivating vocals and the guys’ beautiful harmonies, and it debuted on both the Billboard Alternative Airplay and my own Top 30 chart in early September. Now, after hovering in the top 5 the past few weeks, the song takes over the #1 spot on my Weekly Top 30. It’s also now #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. “Floating on my low-key vibe” indeed!

In other chart developments, Wet Leg‘s delightfully cheeky “Wet Dream” enters the top 10, while the lovely “SNAP” by Rosa Linn is this week’s biggest upward mover, climbing seven spots to #19. Four songs enter my chart this week. Debuting at #26 is The 1975‘s “I’m in Love With You”, replacing “Part of the Band” which dropped off the chart; “I.N.V.U.” by British band Kid Kapichi at #28; “Shadows in the Dark” by the amazing duo The Star Crumbles at #29; and “Scared Together” by Silversun Pickups at #30.

  1. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (2)
  2. BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (1)
  3. MY BABE – Spoon (3)
  4. CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (6)
  5. BOY – The Killers (4)
  6. HERE TO FOREVER – Death Cab for Cutie (5)
  7. PARTY4ONE – dwi (9)
  8. THE ECHO – A.A. Williams (10)
  9. PLEASE WRITE RESPONSIBLY – Granfalloon (7)
  10. WET DREAM – Wet Leg (11)
  11. SISTERS – pMad (13)
  12. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (14)
  13. TEK IT – Cafuné (8)
  14. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (17)
  15. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (18)
  16. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (19)
  17. I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (20)
  18. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (22)
  19. SNAP – Rosa Linn (26)
  20. BITTER – Wild Horse (16)
  21. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (27)
  22. SUPERMODEL – Måneskin (12)
  23. TIPPA MY TONGUE – Red Hot Chili Peppers (25)
  24. BONES – Imagine Dragons (15)
  25. NATURAL BORN KILLER – Highly Suspect (28)
  26. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (N)
  27. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (30)
  28. I.N.V.U. – Kid Kapichi (N)
  29. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (N)
  30. SCARED TOGETHER – Silversun Pickups (N)

Top 30 Songs for October 23-29, 2022

Steve Lacy remains at #1 for a second week on my Top 30 chart with his endearing single “Bad Habit”, while Beach Weather‘s dreamy “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” moves up to #2, with Spoon‘s “My Babe” right behind at #3. Entering the top 10 are the delightful “Party4One” by the wildly creative Canadian artist dwi, climbing three spots to #9, and the magnificent “The Echo” by immensely talented British singer-songwriter A.A. Williams, leaping eight spots to #10.

Two songs make their debut this week: the lovely ballad “SNAP” by Armenian singer-songwriter Rosa Linn (aka Roza Kostandyan), who represented her country with the song at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, enters at #26; and “Offcuts” by British alternative pop-rock band Mount Famine, which enters at #30. It’s their second appearance on my Top 30 chart this year; their previous single “Distance” spent 11 weeks on my chart this past April-June.

  1. BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (1)
  2. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (4)
  3. MY BABE – Spoon (5)
  4. BOY – The Killers (2)
  5. HERE TO FOREVER – Death Cab for Cutie (3)
  6. CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (7)
  7. PLEASE WRITE RESPONSIBLY – Granfalloon (6)
  8. TEK IT – Cafuné (8)
  9. PARTY4ONE – dwi (12)
  10. THE ECHO – A.A. Williams (18)
  11. WET DREAM – Wet Leg (15)
  12. SUPERMODEL – Måneskin (9)
  13. SISTERS – pMad (16)
  14. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (17)
  15. BONES – Imagine Dragons (10)
  16. BITTER – Wild Horse (19)
  17. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (21)
  18. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (22)
  19. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (23)
  20. I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (24)
  21. PART OF THE BAND – The 1975 (11)
  22. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (27)
  23. FREE – Florence + the Machine (13)
  24. SOMETHING LOUD – Jimmy Eat World (14)
  25. TIPPA MY TONGUE – Red Hot Chili Peppers (28)
  26. SNAP – Rosa Linn (N)
  27. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (30)
  28. NATURAL BORN KILLER – Highly Suspect (29)
  29. BROKEN RECORD – NAVE (20)
  30. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (N)

Top 30 Songs for October 16-22, 2022

Southern California-based singer-songwriter Steve Lacy has been making music since his teens, not only as a solo act and guitarist for alternative R&B band The Internet, but also as a producer who’s worked with such acts as Denzel Curry, Kendrick Lamar, Ravyn Lenae, Solange, Mac Miller and Vampire Weekend. But it’s his monster hit “Bad Habit”, from his second album Gemini Rights, that’s finally catapulted the 24-year old to stardom. Not only is it his first song as a solo artist to chart in the U.S., it’s gone all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, also becoming the first song ever to simultaneously top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts. And this week, it also tops my own Top 30 chart.

It’s a sweet song, with lyrics directed to someone he finds attractive, but thinking he wasn’t good enough, never had to courage to make a move: “I bite my tongue, it’s a bad habit. Kinda mad that I didn’t take a stab at it. Thought you were too good for me, my dear. Never gave me time of day, my dear. It’s okay, things happen for reasons that I think are sure, yeah.” But later in the song, he calls her out for toying with his emotions: “You grabbin’ me hard ’cause you know what you found. It’s biscuits, it’s gravy, babe.” It has an irresistible lo-fi funk-pop vibe, and as someone on YouTube put it so perfectly, it’s “one of those songs that feels nostalgic even though it’s new”.

In other chart developments, “Cracker Island” by Gorillaz, featuring Thundercat, finally enters the top 10 at #7, and three songs make their debut at #s 28-30: “Tippa My Tongue” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (which just reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, but took a while to click with me), “Natural Born Killer” by Highly Suspect, and “Tonight” by Phoenix, featuring Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend. I didn’t care for their odd previous single “Alpha Zulu”, but really like “Tonight”, and Ezra Koenig’s pleasing vocals are a nice addition.

  1. BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (3)
  2. BOY – The Killers (1)
  3. HERE TO FOREVER – Death Cab for Cutie (2)
  4. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (4)
  5. MY BABE – Spoon (5)
  6. PLEASE WRITE RESPONSIBLY – Granfalloon (7)
  7. CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (11)
  8. TEK IT – Cafuné (6)
  9. SUPERMODEL – Måneskin (8)
  10. BONES – Imagine Dragons (9)
  11. PART OF THE BAND – The 1975 (10)
  12. PARTY4ONE – dwi (16)
  13. FREE – Florence + the Machine (13)
  14. SOMETHING LOUD – Jimmy Eat World (14)
  15. WET DREAM – Wet Leg (19)
  16. SISTERS – pMad (18)
  17. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (21)
  18. THE ECHO – A.A. Williams (22)
  19. BITTER – Wild Horse (20)
  20. BROKEN RECORD – NAVE (12)
  21. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (24)
  22. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (25)
  23. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (26)
  24. I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (27)
  25. UNTIL I FOUND YOU – Stephen Sanchez (15)
  26. GIANTS – WALK THE MOON (17)
  27. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (30)
  28. TIPPA MY TONGUE – Red Hot Chili Peppers (N)
  29. NATURAL BORN KILLER – Highly Suspect (N)
  30. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (N)

Top 30 Songs for May 29-June 4, 2022

I love the music of British band Florence + the Machine. Fronted by singer-songwriter Florence Welch, their sound is a glorious blend of indie rock, baroque pop, folk, art rock and soul. Their gorgeous song “My Love” takes over the #1 spot on my Weekly Top 30. The third single from their new album Dance Fever, Welch told Rolling Stone that she initially envisioned the song as a “sad little poem” to be performed acoustically, but later transformed it into a number she describes as “Nick Cave at the club.” In an interview with BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, she commented “Sometimes the biggest dance songs, I think, have a really sad core to them.” The song was co-written by Glass Animals vocalist Dave Bayley, with whom she collaborated on Dance Fever along with Jack Antonoff. The video for “My Love” was directed by Autumn de Wilde, who also directed the videos for the previous two Florence + the Machine singles “King” and “Heaven Is Here”. In the video, Welch is shown performing a concert in a pretentious nightclub, where she hypnotizes and immobilizes people, then arranges them in dances. Very baroque and cinematic.

In other chart developments, the songs at #s 3-7 remain in their same positions, while two beautiful songs – “Virginia (Wind in the Night)” by The Head and the Heart and “Seventeen Going Under” by Sam Fender – enter the top 10. Debuting this week are “Beds Are Burning”, a terrific remake of the Midnight Oil classic by AWOLNATION, featuring guest vocals by Rise Against lead singer Tim McIlrath, and “Believe” by American folk band Caamp, making their first appearance on my Weekly Top 30.

  1. MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (2)
  2. WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (1)
  3. AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (3)
  4. SLEEP – Gooseberry (4)
  5. CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (5)
  6. WILD – Spoon (6)
  7. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (7)
  8. LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (10)
  9. VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (11)
  10. SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER – Sam Fender (12)
  11. ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (13)
  12. DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (8)
  13. THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (14)
  14. DISTANCE – Mount Famine (16)
  15. BLOODRUSH – The Amazons (17)
  16. I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (9)
  17. A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE – Weezer (20)
  18. 2am – Foals (21)
  19. TELL ME THE TRUTH – Two Feet (25)
  20. SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS – Bastille (22)
  21. SYNCHRONIZE – Milky Chance (23)
  22. THAT’S WHERE I AM – Maggie Rogers (24)
  23. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (15)
  24. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlile (18)
  25. ANIMAL – Partisan (28)
  26. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (19)
  27. CLOSER – The Frontier (29)
  28. LONELY – Sea Girls (30)
  29. BEDS ARE BURNING – AWOLNATION feat. Tim McIlrath (N)
  30. BELIEVE – Caamp (N)

Top 30 Songs for May 22-28, 2022

Not a lot of changes from last week on my latest Weekly Top 30. The Black Keys hold at #1 for a second week with their raucous “Wild Child”, while Florence + the Machine‘s “My Love” closes in at #2. British five-piece Chief Springs enter the top 10 with their lovely song “La Cienega”, named after the famous boulevard that runs through West Hollywood and Los Angeles. The lone new debut this week is “Lonely” by British band Sea Girls, who’ve been around since 2015, but I sadly didn’t learn about until a few weeks ago.

  1. WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (1)
  2. MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (3)
  3. AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (2)
  4. SLEEP – Gooseberry (6)
  5. CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (7)
  6. WILD – Spoon (8)
  7. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (5)
  8. DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (4)
  9. I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (10)
  10. LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (13)
  11. VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (16)
  12. SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER – Sam Fender (19)
  13. ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (14)
  14. THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (15)
  15. WHAT, ME WORRY – Portugal. The Man (9)
  16. DISTANCE – Mount Famine (17)
  17. BLOODRUSH – The Amazons (18)
  18. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlile (11)
  19. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (12)
  20. A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE – Weezer (22)
  21. 2am – Foals (23)
  22. SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS – Bastille (24)
  23. SYNCHRONIZE – Milky Chance (25)
  24. THAT’S WHERE I AM – Maggie Rogers (26)
  25. TELL ME THE TRUTH – Two Feet (27)
  26. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (20)
  27. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (21)
  28. ANIMAL – Partisan (29)
  29. CLOSER – The Frontier (30)
  30. LONELY – Sea Girls (N)

Top 30 Songs for May 15-21, 2022

Though their latest album Dropout Boogie has gotten mixed reviews, I love The Black Keys‘ lead single “Wild Child”, which knocks Harry Styles’ “As It Was” from the #1 spot after a two-week run. The rousing stomper sees them going back to their blues rock roots, highlighted by Dan Auerbach’s gnarly guitars and Patrick Carney’s muscular drumbeats. Though the simple lyrics are directed to a woman the singer wants to love – “I just wanna hold you at the end of every day. Girl, I wanna please you, oh, I’m needing you to stay. The sun is gonna shine if you would just come out and play. Baby, won’t you show me your wild child ways” – the outrageous video portrays Auerbach and Carney as guys who show up for menial jobs at an out of control high school, then add to the ensuing mayhem.

In other chart news, Florence + the Machine‘s gorgeous “My Love” continues its march toward the top, climbing a notch to #3. “Sleep” by Brooklyn four-piece Gooseberry, “Chasing Trains” by British singer-songwriter HULLAH, and “Wild” by Spoon all climb three spots to #6, 7 and 8, respectively, and Fontaines D.C.’s haunting “I Love You” finally enters the top 10.

Three songs make their debut this week. The first is “Seventeen Going Under” by British singer-songwriter Sam Fender, which enters at #19. The beautiful song was released in July 2021, and I ranked it at #44 on my Top 100 Songs of 2021 list, so when it started getting a lot of airplay a few months ago, I resisted placing it on my Weekly Top 30. But now that’s it climbing up the Alternative charts, I’m compelled to add it to mine too. The other two debuts are “Tell Me The Truth” by my favorite artist Two Feet, who just dropped his fourth album Shape and Form, and “Closer” by another favorite artist of mine, singer-songwriter The Frontier.

  1. WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (2)
  2. AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (1)
  3. MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (4)
  4. DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (3)
  5. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (5)
  6. SLEEP – Gooseberry (9)
  7. CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (10)
  8. WILD – Spoon (11)
  9. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (6)
  10. I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (14)
  11. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlile (8)
  12. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (7)
  13. LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (15)
  14. ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (16)
  15. THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (17)
  16. VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (18)
  17. DISTANCE – Mount Famine (19)
  18. BLOODRUSH – The Amazons (20)
  19. SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER – Sam Fender (N)
  20. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (12)
  21. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (13)
  22. A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE – Weezer (21)
  23. 2am – Foals (22)
  24. SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS – Bastille (26)
  25. SYNCHRONIZE – Milky Chance (28)
  26. THAT’S WHERE I AM – Maggie Rogers (29)
  27. TELL ME THE TRUTH – Two Feet (N)
  28. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (24)
  29. ANIMAL – Partisan (30)
  30. CLOSER – The Frontier (N)

Top 30 Songs for May 8-14, 2022

Some have asked me how I come up with my Weekly Top 30 lists – i.e., what my song rankings are based on, and how and why I include the songs that I do. Well, it’s simple: it’s basically a list of my 30 current favorite songs for each week. If I had my own radio station, these are the songs I’d play most, along with favorite older songs, of course. I’m a big fan of alternative rock, dream rock, pop-rock and synthpop, so my lists are strongly influenced by the Billboard Alternative and Adult Alternative Airplay charts. I also write about and like to promote indie artists as much as possible, many of whom are putting out outstanding music, so each week I try to include at least 10 songs I really like by indie artists and bands.

It’s not often that a song that reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 also tops my chart, as a lot of them are crap, but every once in a while a great pop song comes along that I also love, such as last year’s “Drivers License”, “Levitating” and “Leave the Door Open”. Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” is another such hit song, now in its third week at #1 on the Hot 100, and #1 for a second week on my chart. The Black Keys‘ “Wild Child” closes in at #2, while Florence + the Machine‘s gorgeous “My Love” rises to #4. Entering the top 10 are songs by two indie artists I’ve come to really like: “Sleep” by Brooklyn four-piece Gooseberry, who just released their wonderful EP Broken Dance, and the achingly beautiful “Chasing Trains” by British singer-songwriter HULLAH. The lone debut this week is “Animal” by British rock group Partisan, a long-time favorite band of mine.

  1. AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (1)
  2. WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (3)
  3. DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (2)
  4. MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (6)
  5. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (5)
  6. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (4)
  7. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (7)
  8. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlile (8)
  9. SLEEP – Gooseberry (11)
  10. CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (12)
  11. WILD – Spoon (13)
  12. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (9)
  13. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (10)
  14. I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (17)
  15. LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (18)
  16. ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (19)
  17. THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (20)
  18. VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (21)
  19. DISTANCE – Mount Famine (22)
  20. BLOODRUSH – The Amazons (23)
  21. A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE – Weezer (24)
  22. 2am – Foals (25)
  23. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement with Maella (14)
  24. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (15)
  25. CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (16)
  26. SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS – Bastille (27)
  27. MIRACLE MILE – Head Noise (28)
  28. SYNCHRONIZE – Milky Chance (29)
  29. THAT’S WHERE I AM – Maggie Rogers (30)
  30. ANIMAL – Partisan (N)

Top 30 Songs for May 1-7, 2022

Harry Styles‘ delightful synthpop song “As It Was” takes over the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30. Though I was not a fan of the boy band One Direction, I think that most of its members are pretty talented singers in their own right. That said, Harry Styles stands head and shoulders above the rest, and I’ve really liked a lot of his music as a solo artist. “As It Was” is the lead single from his forthcoming album Harry’s House, to be released on May 20.

In other chart highlights, entering the top 10 are Florence + the Machine‘s gorgeous “My Love”, which climbs five spots to #6, and Brandi Carlisle‘s haunting “Broken Horses”, which moves up four notches to #8. Two songs make their debut this week: “Synchronize” by German duo Milky Chance, and “That’s Where I Am” by the amazing American singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers.

  1. AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (2)
  2. DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (1)
  3. WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (4)
  4. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (3)
  5. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (6)
  6. MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (11)
  7. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (5)
  8. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlile (12)
  9. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (7)
  10. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (10)
  11. SLEEP – Gooseberry (14)
  12. CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (15)
  13. WILD – Spoon (16)
  14. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (8)
  15. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (9)
  16. CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (13)
  17. I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (19)
  18. LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (20)
  19. ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (21)
  20. THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (22)
  21. VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (23)
  22. DISTANCE – Mount Famine (24)
  23. BLOODRUSH – The Amazons (25)
  24. A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE – Weezer (26)
  25. 2am – Foals (27)
  26. CAVIAR – Two Feet (17)
  27. SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS – Bastille (29)
  28. MIRACLE MILE – Head Noise (30)
  29. SYNCHRONIZE – Milky Chance (N)
  30. THAT’S WHERE I AM – Maggie Rogers (N)