Paramore‘s defiant “This Is Why” remains at the top spot for a second week on my latest Top 30 chart, while The Star Crumbles‘ darkwave beauty “Shadows in the Dark” slides into second position. Entering the top 10 are “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather, jumping five spots to #7, and “Night Bus” by Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna, moving up one spot to #10. Two songs make their debut: the beautiful “Just Before the Morning” by L.A.- based indie alt-rock band Local Natives, entering at #29, and “Sleepwalking” by American pop/punk rock band All Time Low, at #30.
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (3)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (2)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (5)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (4)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (12)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (9)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (6)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (11)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (15)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (13)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (8)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (10)
DISORDER – Columbia (16)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (18)
THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (20)
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (21)
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (22)
PAGES – White Reaper (23)
KILL BILL – SZA (25)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (14)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (17)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (19) 21st week on chart
Well, never would I have ever imagined that Paramore would have a #1 song on my weekly top 30 chart, but their single “This Is Why” has made its way to the top this week. Though the Nashville trio, consisting of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, have been around since 2004, I’ve never much cared for their music. But “This Is Why” really resonates with me, both musically and lyrically, and is now my current favorite song. Their first new single in four years, the defiantly honest song is the lead single from their forthcoming sixth album, also to be titled This Is Why.
About the single, Williams told NME “‘This Is Why” was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea. What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the roller-coaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years. You’d think after a global pandemic of fucking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”
Moving into the top 10 this week are “Out of My System” by British singer-songwriter and One Direction alumnus Louis Tomlinson and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” by Australian band Crystal Cities. There are no new debuts this week.
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (3)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (1)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (4)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (2)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (7)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (6)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (8)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (5)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (11)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (12)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (13)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (14)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (15)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (9)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (17)
DISORDER – Columbia (16)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (10)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (21)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (20) 20th week on chart
The ebullient earworm “Tonight” by French pop-rock band Phoenix featuring Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, holds at #1 for a second week. Sliding into the #2 spot is “I’m In Love With You” by The 1975, becoming their highest-charting song ever on my Weekly Top 30. “This Is Why” by Paramore moves up to #3, also making it their best-performing song ever on my chart. The haunting new wave gem “Shadows in the Dark” by The Star Crumbles moves up three spots to #4. Three songs make their debut this week: “Stick Season” by Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, “Lux Æterna” by metal rock veterans Metallica, and “Everything I Own” by Welsh singer-songwriter Dom Thomas, which I reviewed this past November.
Fun fact: Once again this week, there are three songs on this list by guys named ‘Sam’.
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (1)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (4)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (5)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (7)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (2)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (8)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (9)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (10)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (3)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (6)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (14)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (16)
Happy New Year! A new #1 song to start off the new year, as “Tonight” by French pop-rock band Phoenix, featuring added vocals by Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, takes over the top spot. For those unaware, Phoenix formed back in 1995 in Versailles, while its members were all in their teens, and still consists of the original lineup of Thomas Mars (lead vocals), Deck d’Arcy (bass/keyboards/backing vocals), Christian Mazzalai (guitar/backing vocals) and Laurent Brancowitz (guitar/keyboards/backing vocals), with Thomas Hedlund serving as their session and live drummer since 2005.
“Tonight” is from their seventh album Alpha Zulu, which was recorded at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a studio located within the Louvre Palace in Paris. About the collaboration with Koenig, band frontman Thomas Mars told NME “There’s always been a synchronicity with us and Vampire Weekend.” Guitarist Laurent Brancowitz added that he was initially hesitant of the format: “I was saying ‘show me one classic song that’s a duet’. I was resisting, and then Thomas came back with a list of duets that were classics and I had to admit I was wrong.” I think it’s a terrific duet, as Mars’ and Koenig’s voices harmonize together beautifully. I also love the bass and energetic drumming on the track.
Here’s a performance of the song by just Phoenix on the British TV show Later with Jools Holland, which nicely showcases Thomas Hedlund’s impressive drumming:
In other chart developments, three songs enter the top 10 this week: “Shadows in the Dark” by The Star Crumbles, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, and “Sail Away” by lovelytheband. Two songs make their debut: “Pages” by American rock band White Reaper, at #29, and “Kill Bill” by American R&B singer-songwriter SZA, at #30.
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (3)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (1)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (2)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (8)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (9)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (6)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (10)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (12)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (13)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (4)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (5)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (7)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (16)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (15)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (18)
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and/or Happy Holidays everyone! We’ve arrived at the final week of 2022, and I like that it’ll be a clean break, with the New Year starting on a Sunday. British artist Art Block remains at #1 for a second week with his hauntingly beautiful “White Horses”. Rosa Linn‘s “SNAP” holds at #2 for a second week after spending two weeks at #1, and the jaunty gem “Tonight” by French band Phoenix, featuring the dulcet tones of Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, climbs two spots to #3.
Three songs enter my top 10 this week: “I’m in Love With You” by The 1975, “This is Why” by Paramore, and “Offcuts” by Mount Famine, at #8, 9 and 10 respectively. Two beautiful songs by British artists make their debut: “Wild as the Wind” by HULLAH (which I reviewed last month), and “Mayfly” by Callum Pitt (which I also reviewed in November). It’s the second appearance on my Weekly Top 30 for both artists.
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (1)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (2)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (5)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (3)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (4)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (8)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (6)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (11)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (12)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (13)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (14)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (15)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (16)
PARTY4ONE – dwi (7)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (10)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (18)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (9)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (19)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (20)
EDGING – Blink-182 (22)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (24)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (25)
DISORDER – Columbia (26)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (27)
THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (23)
BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (21)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (30)
I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (17)
I’ve been following London-based alternative folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who goes by the artistic name of Art Block for three years, and have featured him a number of times on this blog. A prolific artist who creates hauntingly beautiful music, he’s released an impressive number of singles, EPs and remixes since early 2015. His most recent work was a three-track EP White Horses, which I reviewed this past September, and the deeply moving title track “White Horses” takes over the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30. The gorgeous piano-driven song was produced, mixed and engineered with Moog synthesizers by William Robertson aka Wheeliemix, who also played the subtle bass, Art Block played piano and sang vocals, and the gentle drums were played by Raphael Bouchara.
In addition to beautiful melodies and captivating arrangements, a defining aspect of Art Block’s songs are his incredibly emotive vocals, which convey a deep sense of pain and sorrow. On “White Horses”, he nearly breaks our hearts. He says the song “was inspired by a beautiful place in England, but also by the attack in Mariupol Ukraine which was in the news, where I imagined I was going through the devastation there. Perhaps ‘White Horses’ is a metaphor for something else, greater, perhaps mystical or mysterious? The place I visited in England certainly had a mystical feel even though the White Horse itself etched into a hill was not ancient.” His lyrics are poetic and deep, touching on the terrifying randomness of death and suffering: “We bear our own cross. And the people may wonder why God’s left them alone? The wind is burning. There’s so much smoke cos’ you’re coughing up blood now. The poem has ceased. And the soil is all over me, I’m six feet deep.“
In other chart news this week, “Unholy” by Sam Smith, featuring Kim Petras, enters the top 10 at #10, while the lone debut, entering at #30, is the beautiful “Backpatters and Shooters” by British indie rock band The Zangwills (which I featured last month in a Fresh New Tracks post).
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (2)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (1)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (6)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (7)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (8)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (4)
PARTY4ONE – dwi (3)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (10)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (5)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (11)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (12)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (13)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (16)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (17)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (18)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (19)
I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (9)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (20)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (21)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (22)
BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (14)
EDGING – Blink-182 (24)
THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (25)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (26)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (27)
DISORDER – Columbia (28)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (30)
CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (15)
As the year winds down and we approach Christmas, the number of new music releases has slackened off. That said, I do have a sizable group of recently-released songs I plan to place on my Weekly Top 30 chart over the next few weeks as we transition into 2023, so stay tuned. For now, Armenian singer-songwriter Rosa Linn remains on top for a second week with her lovely song “SNAP”, while British singer-songwriter Art Block leaps six spots to #2 with his heart-wrenching “White Horses”. I just love his music. “I Like You (A Happier Song) by music superstars Post Malone and Doja Cat, and “Weird Goodbyes” by The National and Bon Iver, both enter the top 10 after a long, slow climb up my chart. The lone debut this week is “THE LONELIEST” by Italian band Måneskin.
SNAP – Rosa Linn (1)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (8)
PARTY4ONE – dwi (2)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (3)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (4)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (5)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (9)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (10)
I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (11)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (12)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (13)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (14)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (15)
BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (7)
CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (6)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (17)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (18)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (20)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (21)
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (22)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (23)
This is my first post in a week, as I’ve lost all enthusiasm or motivation for writing music reviews. But I can’t not post my Weekly Top 30. The beautiful poignant ballad “SNAP”, by Armenian singer-songwriter Rosa Linn (aka Roza Kostandyan), is my new #1 song. Rosa represented Armenia with the song at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 20th place. “SNAP” subsequently went viral on TikTok, reaching the top of the charts in Belgium, and the top ten in several European countries. In the U.S., the song also reached #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, where it recently spent seven weeks on top, but peaked at only #82 on the dismal Hot 100 chart.
“SNAP” was co-written by Rosa with Larzz Principato, Courtney Harrell, Allie Crystal and Tamar Kaprelian, with writing sessions taking place in both Los Angeles and Yerevan, Armenia. In an interview for Wiwibloggs, Rosa stated that the song is a personal story everyone can relate to: “I think we’ve all been at a snapping point, where it felt like there’s no way out and that the entire world is just crumbling down around you. You start questioning everything, including yourself. I have been there. And what I realized was that I had the strength to shape my reality – it just took getting out of my own way and finding inner-peace. It’s all about self-love and accepting that you are enough. Writing ‘SNAP’ was a form of therapy for me and I hope that it can be that for others who are also going through hard times.“
In other chart developments, “Crest of the Wave” by British band Foals, and “Tonight” by French alt-rock band Phoenix, with guest vocals by Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, enter the top 10. Five songs make their debut this week: “EDGING” by Blink-182, entering my chart at #26. Though the song has spent the last five weeks and counting at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart (Billboard has far too many charts, which to me dilutes the importance of most of them, but I digress…), it’s only now starting to grow on me, as I’ve never been much of a Blink-182 fan. The sweet “Then It All Goes Away” by Dayglow enters at #27; “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather debuts at #28, giving them two songs on this chart; “Dance for Me” by Brooklyn singer-songwriter and blog favorite Sam Rappaport enters at #29; and “Disorder” by Welsh rock band Columbia enters at #30.
SNAP – Rosa Linn (3)
PARTY4ONE – dwi (1)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (2)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (6)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (7)
CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (4)
BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (5)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (10)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (11)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (14)
I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (12)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (13)
It’s hard to believe another holiday season is upon us, and we’re approaching the end of 2022! There are no significant changes to this week’s Top 30. “Party4One” by Canadian artist dwi holds the #1 spot for a second week, while Beach Weather‘s “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” holds at #2 for a second week after spending three weeks at #1. Rosa Linn climbs two spots to #3 with her bittersweet “SNAP”, and the haunting “White Horses” by British artist Art Block enters the top 10 at #10.
Despite lots of new music still being released late in the year, I have no new songs debuting on my chart this week, as I dislike having too many songs crossing over from one year to the next. There will be lots of chart movement in the coming weeks.
PARTY4ONE – dwi (1)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (2)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (5)
CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (3)
BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (4)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (8)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (9)
SISTERS – pMad (7)
WET DREAM – Wet Leg (6)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (11)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (12)
I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (13)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (14)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (15)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (16)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (17)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (18)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (22)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (20)
I.N.V.U. – Kid Kapichi (19)
THE ECHO – A.A. Williams (10)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (27)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (26)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (28)
One of the more fascinating artists making music today is dwi, the music project of Canadian singer-songwriter Dwight Abell. He’s also bassist for Canadian alternative/power pop band The Zolas. Based in Vancouver, B.C., the fearless and talented guy lets his creativity and imagination run totally wild with his zany alter ago, making outstanding music that’s innovative, quirky and fun. Last year, dwi released his brilliant debut album Mild Fantasy Violence, which I loved at first listen. One of the album’s tracks, “Good Friend”, spent four months on my Weekly Top 30, going all the way to #1 this past January. Now he reaches the pinnacle of my list for a second time with his wonderful “Party4One“. dwi says the song is “about falling in love with yourself during an intense state of cabin fever. Love yourself, make out with yourself, and for the love of gawd, scare yourself. The weirdos are in charge now!” Accompanied by a deliriously wacky video, it’s a riotous blast from start to finish, with an infectious bouncy groove and dwi’s relentlessly endearing vocals.
In other chart news, the biggest upward movers this week are “SNAP” by Rosa Linn, climbing five spots to #5, and “Unholy” by Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras, jumping eight spots to #16. Debuting this week are “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, finally entering my chart at #27 (the song has been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the entire three weeks it’s been on that chart); “Out of My System” by former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson, at #29; and “Night Bus” by immensely talented Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna.
PARTY4ONE – dwi (4)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (1)
CRACKER ISLAND – Gorillaz featuring Thundercat (2)
BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (3)
SNAP – Rosa Linn (10)
WET DREAM – Wet Leg (6)
SISTERS – pMad (7)
THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (8)
SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (9)
THE ECHO – A.A. Williams (5)
WHITE HORSES – Art Block (12)
CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (13)
I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (14)
WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (15)
TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (18)
UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (24)
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (20)
OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (21)
I.N.V.U. – Kid Kapichi (22)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (23)
NATURAL BORN KILLER – Highly Suspect (19)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (26)
MY BABE – Spoon (11)
BOY – The Killers (16)
HERE TO FOREVER – Death Cab for Cutie (17)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (28)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (N)
LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (30)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 