1. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (2)
2. GO – The Black Keys (1)
3. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (5)
4. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (3)
5. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (7)
6. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (4)
7. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (6)
8. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (9)
9. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (10)
10. SOMEONE YOU LOVED – Lewis Capaldi (11)
11. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (8)
12. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (12)
13. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (16)
14. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (17)
15. DISSOLVE – Absofacto (18)
16. UNDER THESE SCARS – Falling Into Red featuring Dev (19)
17. WANNACRY – Darksoft (20)
18. FIGHTER – Joseph (25)
19. UNDERGROUND – MISSIO (26)
20. CIRCLES – Post Malone (N)
21. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (13)
22. DESERVING OF LOVE – Lyia Meta (24)
23. DRIFTING AWAY – Stereohaze (27)
24. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (14) 19th week on list
25. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (15) 18th week on list
26. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (21)
27. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (23)
28. 16 – Highly Suspect (29)
29. OBSESSION – Joywave (30)
30. WHITE LIES & PALM TREES – The Lovepools (N)
One of the best indie rock bands I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know in 2019 was London, England four-piece Revolvers. Formed just three years ago in 2016, Revolvers was comprised of singer-songwriter James Thurling (guitar/lead vocals) Will Oliver (guitar/backing vocals), Steven Morrison (bass/backing vocals) and Rhys Kibble (drums). I say ‘was’, because they recently disbanded due to a number of factors, some of which are the cause of many a band breakup that I won’t go into here. Suffice it to say I was gutted, because I really love their high-energy, guitar-driven melodic rock music.
I’ve featured them twice on this blog over the past nine months, when I reviewed their fantastic singles “True Love” and “Rubbing Shoulders With the Devil” (the latter of which has spent the past four months on my Weekly Top 30). Fortunately for us, they’re releasing as their swan song a terrific new single “Confusing Times“, which I’m thrilled to premiere. The hard-rocking song speaks to the crazy times we’re now living in. Like their last three singles, “Confusing Times” was recorded at Kore Studio in London, and produced by George Apsion (White Lies, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Ellie Goulding).
Revolvers go out on a high note, pulling out all the stops on this exhilarating head-banger. The song instantly blasts open with a frantic barrage of fuzz-coated jangly guitars and pummeling rhythms that never let up. They sound better than ever, delivering layers of intricate melodic riffs and explosive percussion that raise goosebumps. Thurling passionately sings of his frustration with the current state of things, and the mind-control that media exerts over society, aided by corrupt and incompetent politicians who prey on a deeply divided public. The lyrics include a reference to John Lennon’s iconic song “Imagine”, and later on state “life goes on like a Beatles song“, giving a nod to the enduring cultural significance of classic songs of yesterday as a symbol of hope for a better future.
I can’t hide from the TV screen The old days are dead and gone Whatever happened to Lennon’s song? It goes on, it goes on We live in confusing times Least to say confusing times And I don’t want to listen to this politician
The self-produced and highly entertaining video draws its source material from popular political and cultural GIFs, memes and footage found on the internet. It makes for a compelling and provocative snapshot of our very confusing times.
Finally, though Revolvers are no more, band frontman and songwriter James Thurling will continue to feature some of the their songs in his new rock band project Bitter Lime, so stay tuned.
1. GO – The Black Keys (3)
2. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (4)
3. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (1)
4. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (2)
5. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (5)
6. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (6)
7. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (13)
8. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (9)
9. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (11)
10. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (12)
11. SOMEONE YOU LOVED – Lewis Capaldi (23)
12. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (14)
13. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (10)
14. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (7)
15. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (8)
16. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (17)
17. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (18)
18. DISSOLVE – Absofacto (19)
19. UNDER THESE SCARS – Falling Into Red featuring Dev (20)
20. WANNACRY – Darksoft (21)
21. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (15)
22. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (16)
23. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (22)
24. DESERVING OF LOVE – Lyia Meta (25)
25. FIGHTER – Joseph (26)
26. UNDERGROUND – MISSIO (27)
27. DRIFTING AWAY – Stereohaze (28)
28. WHY DID YOU RUN? – Judah & the Lion (24)
29. 16 – Highly Suspect (N)
30. OBSESSION – Joywave (N)
1. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (1)
2. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (4)
3. GO – The Black Keys (5)
4. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (6)
5. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (8)
6. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (7)
7. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (2)
8. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (3)
9. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (10)
10. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (11)
11. RAGGED TOWN – Secret Player Score (12)
12. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (14)
13. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (15)
14. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (16)
15. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (13)
16. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (9)
17. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (18)
18. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (19)
19. DISSOLVE – Absofacto (21)
20. UNDER THESE SCARS – Falling Into Red featuring Dev (23)
21. WANNACRY – Darksoft (22)
22. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (17)
23. SOMEONE YOU LOVED – Lewis Capaldi (27)
24. WHY DID YOU RUN? – Judah & the Lion (20)
25. DESERVING OF LOVE – Lyia Meta (26)
26. FIGHTER – Joseph (28)
27. UNDERGROUND – MISSIO (29)
28. DRIFTING AWAY – Stereohaze (30)
29. ALLIGATOR – Of Monsters and Men (25) 19th week on list
30. BAD GUY – Billie Eilish (24) 19th week on list
1. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (5)
2. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (1)
3. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (2)
4. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (6)
5. GO – The Black Keys (7)
6. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (9)
7. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (8)
8. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (11)
9. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (3)
10. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (4)
11. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (12)
12. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (13)
13. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (14)
14. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (15)
15. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (16)
16. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (17)
17. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (10)
18. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (20)
19. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (21)
20. WHY DID YOU RUN? – Judah & the Lion (22)
21. DISSOLVE – Absofacto (23)
22. WANNACRY – Darksoft (25)
23. UNDER THESE SCARS – Falling Into Red featuring Dev (26)
24. BAD GUY – Billie Eilish (18)
25. ALLIGATOR – Of Monsters and Men (19)
26. DESERVING OF LOVE – Lyia Meta (29)
27. SOMEONE YOU LOVED – Lewis Capaldi (N)
28. FIGHTER – Joseph (N)
29. UNDERGROUND – MISSIO (N)
30. DRIFTING AWAY – Stereohaze (N)
1. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (2)
2. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (3)
3. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (1)
4. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (4)
5. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (6)
6. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (7)
7. GO – The Black Keys (8)
8. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (9)
9. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (10)
10. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (5)
11. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (11)
12. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (12)
13. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (13)
14. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (14)
15. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (17)
16. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (18)
17. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (19)
18. BAD GUY – Billie Eilish (15)
19. ALLIGATOR – Of Monsters and Men (16)
20. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (21)
21. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (22)
22. WHY DID YOU RUN? – Judah & the Lion (23)
23. DISSOLVE – Absofacto (25)
24. COMPLAINER – Cold War Kids (26)
25. WANNACRY – Darksoft (27)
26. UNDER THESE SCARS – Falling Into Red featuring Dev (28)
27. BROTHERS – Harroland (20)
28. LOVER – Taylor Swift (29)
29. DESERVING OF LOVE – Lyia Meta (30)
30. I SEE YOU – MISSIO (24)
1. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (2)
2. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (3)
3. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (4)
4. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (1)
5. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (5)
6. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (6)
7. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (7)
8. GO – The Black Keys (8)
9. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (9)
10. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (10)
11. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (13)
12. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (14)
13. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (15)
14. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (16)
15. BAD GUY – Billie Eilish (11)
16. ALLIGATOR – Of Monsters and Men (12)
17. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (18)
18. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (20)
19. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (21)
20. BROTHERS – Harroland (19)
21. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (23)
22. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (24)
23. WHY DID YOU RUN? – Judah & the Lion (25)
24. I SEE YOU – MISSIO (17)
25. DISSOLVE – Absofacto (28)
26. COMPLAINER – Cold War Kids (29)
27. WANNACRY – Darksoft (30)
28. UNDER THESE SCARS – Falling Into Red featuring Dev (N)
29. LOVER – Taylor Swift (N)
30. DESERVING OF LOVE – Lyia Meta (N)
1. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (1)
2. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (2)
3. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (3)
4. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (4)
5. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (5)
6. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (7)
7. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (9)
8. GO – The Black Keys (10)
9. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (11)
10. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (12)
11. BAD GUY – Billie Eilish (6)
12. ALLIGATOR – Of Monsters and Men (8)
13. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (14)
14. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (15)
15. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (16)
16. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (17)
17. I SEE YOU – MISSIO (13)
18. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (21)
19. BROTHERS – Harroland (20)
20. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (24)
21. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (25)
22. HERE WE GO – Ben Priory and Charlie Pereira (18)
23. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (26)
24. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (27)
25. WHY DID YOU RUN? – Judah & the Lion (30)
26. MISSED CONNECTION – The Head and the Heart (22)
27. ROOM TO BREATHE – Made of Eyes (23)
28. DISSOLVE – Absofacto (N)
29. COMPLAINER – Cold War Kids (N)
30. WANNACRY – Darksoft (N)
1. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (1)
2. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (3)
3. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (4)
4. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (5)
5. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (6)
6. BAD GUY – Billie Eilish (2)
7. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (9)
8. ALLIGATOR – Of Monsters and Men (8)
9. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (10)
10. GO – The Black Keys (11)
11. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (13)
12. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (16)
13. I SEE YOU – MISSIO (7)
14. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (20)
15. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (17)
16. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (18)
17. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (19)
18. HERE WE GO – Ben Priory & Charlie Pereira (12)
19. BLOW – Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars (21)
20. BROTHERS – Harroland (22)
21. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (23)
22. MISSED CONNECTION – The Head and the Heart (14)
23. ROOM TO BREATHE – Made of Eyes (15)
24. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with John Bellion (26)
25. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (27)
26. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (29)
27. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (30)
28. OLD MAN’S WAR – Roadkeeper (24)
29. HELP ME STRANGER – The Raconteurs (25)
30. WHY DID YOU RUN? – Judah & the Lion (N)
1. DOIN’ TIME – Lana Del Rey (2)
2. BAD GUY – Billie Eilish (1)
3. FALLING WITH STYLE – Heist At Five (6)
4. COMING UP FOR AIR – Mars Motel (7)
5. RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH THE DEVIL – Revolvers (8)
6. WHEN AM I GONNA LOSE YOU – Local Natives (9)
7. I SEE YOU – MISSIO (3)
8. ALLIGATOR – Of Monsters and Men (5)
9. UNDER THE COLD LIGHT OF THE MOON – Crystal Cities (12)
10. 3 NIGHTS – Dominic Fike (14)
11. GO – The Black Keys (15)
12. HERE WE GO – Ben Priory & Charlie Pereira (13)
13. CRINGE – Matt Maeson (16)
14. MISSED CONNECTION – The Head and the Heart (4)
15. ROOM TO BREATHE – Made of Eyes (10)
16. SOCIAL CUES – Cage the Elephant (22)
17. FOUR WINDS – Unquiet Nights (18)
18. RAGGED TOWN – Second Player Score (19)
19. THIS LIFE – Vampire Weekend (20)
20. THE HYPE – twenty one pilots (23)
21. BLOW – Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars (21)
22. BROTHERS – Harroland (25)
23. HEAT OF THE SUMMER – Young the Giant (26)
24. OLD MAN’S WAR – Roadkeeper (17)
25. HELP ME STRANGER – The Racounteurs (24)
26. GOOD THINGS FALL APART – ILLENIUM with Jon Bellion (30)
27. GOODBYES – Post Malone featuring Young Thug (N)
28. BOOM – X Ambassadors (27)
29. THE MIDDLE – Agency Panic (N)
30. SECRETS – The Million Reasons (N)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 