Tag: Shimmer Johnson

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 24 – 9fm, Callum Pitt, Refeci ft. Shimmer Johnson

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews6 Comments

For my latest edition of Fresh New Tracks, I’ve chosen three great new singles from a group of very talented acts I’ve previously featured on my blog: New Jersey-based indie artist 9fm, British singer-songwriter Callum Pitt, and Canadian-American singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson, in a stunning collaboration with Danish electronic artist Refeci, who’s new to me.

9fm – “Lesson Learned”

9fm (short for Ninth Floor Mannequin) is the music project of hyper-creative New Jersey-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jarrod Pedone. Drawing influences from some of his favorite artists like Paul Simon, Fleet Foxes and James Blake, Pedone melds elements of folk, alternative rock and synth pop to create fascinating songs with a pleasing, often otherworldly vibe. He’s also a huge fan of the classic TV show The Twilight Zone, as well as the more recent Twilight Zone-influenced British sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror, and many of his song lyrics are based on particular episodes of those shows. I’ve written about his music several times over the past five years, most recently in May 2021 when I reviewed his brilliant EP First One, Ninth Fifteen.

Now he’s back with a new single “Lesson Learned“, which was inspired by The Twilight Zone episode “Time Enough at Last”, which first aired in November 1959. Starring Burgess Meredith as Harry Bemis, a frustrated bank teller who loves books but is surrounded by people who do all they can to prevent him from reading them, “Time Enough at Last” follows him through a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war has destroyed everyone and everything around him. The season one episode became one the most popular of the entire Twilight Zone series.

For the recording of the track, Pedone played all instruments, as well as handled the mixing and mastering. The beautiful artwork for the single was created by Jordan Campbell. Like many of his songs, “Lesson Learned” has a dark undercurrent, highlighted by an aggressive stomping beat and fuzzy cinematic synths. His echoed vocals have a haunting, ethereal quality that suits the subject matter quite nicely as he croons “Ooooh lesson learned, and it took too long. Who’d have known to take what you can while you can’t see the end of the story. Do what you would if you could but while you still can. And when there’s a will, find a way, ‘cause it won’t just stay waiting stay waiting.“

Connect with 9fm: Twitter / Instagram
Find his music on Spotify/ Soundcloud / iTunes / Bandcamp 

CALLUM PITT – “Fraction of a Second”

Callum Pitt is a thoughtful and talented singer-songwriter from Newcastle Upon Tyne in northeast England. Inspired by the music of such artists as Elliott Smith, Julien Baker, Adrianne Lenker, Sufjan Stevens, The War on Drugs and Fleet Foxes, he creates, in his own words, “indie-folk with a grand, orchestral, chamber pop sensibility plus an alt-rock edge”. His music is characterized by lush harmonies, captivating melodies, and honest, meaningful lyrics touching on subjects like depression and anxiety, and social and political unrest, delivered with his soft, pleasing vocals. Since 2017, he’s released an impressive number of singles as well as a four-track EP Poisoned Reveries in 2019. His beautiful second single “Least He’s Happy” has been streamed more than two million times on Spotify, with several other singles garnering over 100,000 streams. I’ve previously written about three of his songs, most recently last November when I reviewed his beautiful single “Mayfly”. The song is enjoying a long run on my Weekly Top 30, where it currently sits at #8.

Now Callum returns with his latest single “Fraction of a Second“, a heartfelt song about the night he came perilously close to losing his mom, dad and brother to a motor vehicle accident. It’s the third single from his forthcoming debut album In the Balance, due for release on June 2nd. The song has a melancholy yet hopeful feel, and features a buoyant drumbeat overlain with delicate sweeping synths, beautifully-strummed guitar notes, lovely piano keys and vibrant strings. As always, Callum’s smooth vocals are comforting and warm as he sings of his gratitude that his family safely survived the crash: “And I don’t know what I’d do, if that truck had taken all of you, I think the moon may disappear. But a fraction of a second kept you here.”

Connect with Callum:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Find his music on  Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Amazon

REFECI featuring SHIMMER JOHNSON – “Essence”

Refeci is a brilliant Danish DJ and electronic house music producer who’s been making music since his mid teens, both as a solo artist and a collaborator with numerous musicians and vocalists. Now 23 years old, he’s released an impressive amount of music since 2016, and five of his singles have garnered many millions of streams on Spotify alone.

Shimmer Johnson is a singer-songwriter and musician with the voice of an angel. Originally from Edmonton, Canada with professional ties to Los Angeles, Shimmer has an incredibly beautiful and resonant singing voice. In addition to her amazing vocal talents, she’s also a fine guitarist and pianist, and has collaborated with several songwriters and producers to create an impressive repertoire of outstanding songs over the past several years. She started out singing Country songs, but eventually branched out into adult contemporary pop, rock and dance music, all of which she manages to handle with ease. I’ve written about her numerous times on this blog, and one of the songs I’ve featured, her terrific dance single “Starts With You”, went all the way to #1 on my Weekly Top 30.

Refeci and Shimmer recently teamed up to create a captivating dance song “Essence“, released through the LOUDKLOUT label on February 17th. Refeci’s pulsating dance beats are overlain with hauntingly beautiful piano chords and gauzy atmospheric synths, creating a mesmerizing and sensuous soundscape for Shimmer’s enchanting ethereal vocals that transport us to a dreamy, faraway place. The simple lyrics speak to the importance of remaining true to oneself: “Don’t ever ever doubt your life. Make a wish and just believe. Find the path that’s right. It’s the essence of life.” The fascinating music video produced for the track features scenic footage of such diverse locales as China, the Sahara Desert and Cape Town, South Africa, interspersed with scenes of people of different ethnicities and cultures expressing a range of emotions.

Connect with Shimmer:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Find her music on Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music / Bandcamp

Connect with Refeci: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Find his music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Amazon Music

Top 30 Songs for March 6-12, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

After a long, steady climb, the wonderfully ebullient “Two Car Family” by Leeds five-piece Apollo Junction has reached the pinnacle of my Weekly Top 30. The song is from their latest album All In, which is so full of great songs, I could just as easily have chosen some of its other tracks to place at the top of my list. I love their melodic, high-energy brand of electro pop-rock, and so do thousands of adoring fans. I’m so happy to see their star continue to rise.

In other major chart developments this week, the captivating song of unrequited love “Caviar”, by my favorite artist Two Feet, leaps 10 spots to #10. I love the sultry vibe and gorgeous Latin-flavored guitars. Counting both his solo tracks and collaborations with SubUrban and grandson, Two Feet has continuously had a song on my Weekly Top 30 every single week since early November of 2020! Portugal. The Man‘s “What Me Worry?” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ “Black Summer” both climb six spots to #21 and #22, respectively. Finally, there’s so much great new music out now, I wanted to add at least eight new tracks this week. But that would have required dropping eight from my list, which I just could not do. So, I had to settle for only three stellar new additions: “Broken Horses” by Brandi Carlisle, “Once Twice Melody” by Beach House, and “Cheer Up Baby” by Inhaler.

  1. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (3)
  2. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (1)
  3. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (4)
  4. CHAPSTICK – COIN (6)
  5. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (8)
  6. WAKE ME UP – Foals (5)
  7. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (2)
  8. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (7)
  9. OH MY GOD – Adele (10)
  10. CAVIAR – Two Feet (20)
  11. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (11)
  12. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (13)
  13. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (14)
  14. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (16)
  15. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (17)
  16. B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (19)
  17. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (18)
  18. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & the Imposters (15)
  19. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (21)
  20. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (22)
  21. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (27)
  22. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (28)
  23. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (9) 19th week on chart
  24. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (12)
  25. IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (26)
  26. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (29)
  27. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlisle (N)
  28. ONCE TWICE MELODY – Beach House (N)
  29. WON’T STAND DOWN – Muse (30)
  30. CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 27-March 5, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

Though they’ve been around since the mid 1990s, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I didn’t come to fully appreciate the music of Spoon until 2017, with the release of their fantastic album Hot Thoughts. I love their distinctive sound that incorporates elements of rock’n’roll, art rock, post-punk revival and experimental rock, not to mention the raspy vocals of frontman Britt Daniel, who at 50 is still going strong. The Austin-based rock band’s gnarly stomper “The Hardest Cut” has been around awhile, and finally reaches the top of my Weekly Top 30. The song is from their 10th and latest album Lucifer on the Sofa, which was written by Daniel during lockdown.

Adele’s “Oh My God” enters the top 10, and both “B-Side” by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges and “Caviar” by Two Feet leap eight spots to #19 and #20, respectively. Three new songs debut this week: “Black Summer” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Love Brand New” by Bob Moses, and “Won’t Stand Down” by Muse. Though I really like Muse, most of their songs take a while to grow on me. I often dislike them upon the first few listens, but almost always end up liking or even loving them, and “Won’t Stand Down” is no exception.

  1. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (2)
  2. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (1)
  3. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (4)
  4. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (6)
  5. WAKE ME UP – Foals (7)
  6. CHAPSTICK – COIN (8)
  7. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (9)
  8. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (10)
  9. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (3)
  10. OH MY GOD – Adele (14)
  11. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (13)
  12. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (5)
  13. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (15)
  14. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (16)
  15. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (17)
  16. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (22)
  17. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (20)
  18. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (21)
  19. B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (27)
  20. CAVIAR – Two Feet (28)
  21. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (24)
  22. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (26)
  23. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (11)
  24. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (12)
  25. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War On Drugs feat. Lucius (18)
  26. IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (29)
  27. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (30)
  28. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (N)
  29. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (N)
  30. WON’T STAND DOWN – Muse (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 20-26, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments

British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes retain a firm grip on the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30 for a second week with their beautiful track “I See the Sun“, and Spoon’s “The Hardest Cut” slides up to #2. Entering the top 10 are twenty øne piløts’ “The Outside” and Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker”. Sometimes it takes a while for a song to really grow on me, and after a slow start, Adele’s “Oh My God” leaps 10 spots to #14. Four great songs by artists I love make their debut this week: “B-Side” by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges, “Caviar” by Two Feet, “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You” by The Wombats, and “What, Me Worry?” by Portugal. The Man.

  1. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (1)
  2. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (3)
  3. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (2)
  4. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (5)
  5. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (4)
  6. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (8)
  7. WAKE ME UP – Foals (9)
  8. CHAPSTICK – COIN (10)
  9. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (11)
  10. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (12)
  11. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (6)
  12. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (7)
  13. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (15)
  14. OH MY GOD – Adele (24)
  15. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (18)
  16. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (19)
  17. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (20)
  18. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (13)
  19. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (14)
  20. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (26)
  21. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (27)
  22. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (29)
  23. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (16)
  24. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (28)
  25. U&ME – alt-J (22)
  26. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (30)
  27. B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (N)
  28. CAVIAR – Two Feet (N)
  29. IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (N)
  30. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 13-19, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

There’s lots of movement on this week’s Top 30. One of the downsides of curating a weekly list is that all songs must eventually move down, then off. I hate dropping songs I still like, but it must be done in order to make way for new ones on their way up. I’ve loved the music of British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes since first learning about them last summer, and have written about two of their singles, “Naked Monkey on a Spaceship” and “I See the Sun”. Inspired by the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, “I See the Sun” is a glorious cinematic gem, highlighted by gorgeous spaghetti western-style guitars that would make Ennio Morricone proud. The stunning song takes over the #1 spot on my Weekly Top 30.

Spoon’s “The Hardest Cut” climbs three spots to #3, British band Apollo Junction’s “Two Car Family” moves up two spots to #5, and three songs enter the top 10: “One and the Same” by British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory, “Wake Me Up” by British alt-rock band Foals, and “Chapstick” by Nashville pop-rock band COIN. After a sluggish few weeks, twenty øne piløts’ “The Outside” and Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker” leap eight spots to #11 and #12, respectively. Debuting this week are “I’ll Call You Mine” by girl in red and “Give a Little Lovin’” by Jamie Alimorad, which enter at #29 and #30.

  1. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (2)
  2. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (1)
  3. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (6)
  4. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (3)
  5. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (7)
  6. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (4)
  7. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (5)
  8. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (13)
  9. WAKE ME UP – Foals (14)
  10. CHAPSTICK – COIN (17)
  11. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (19)
  12. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (20)
  13. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (8)
  14. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (16)
  15. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (18)
  16. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (9)
  17. SMILE – Wolf Alice (10)
  18. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (22)
  19. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (23)
  20. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (24)
  21. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (11)
  22. U&ME – alt-J (12)
  23. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (15)
  24. OH MY GOD – Adele (26)
  25. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (21)
  26. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (28)
  27. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (29)
  28. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (30)
  29. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (N)
  30. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 6-12, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's19 Comments

I’m a long-time fan of disco and dance music of all kinds, so it’s a given I’d love the sleek earworm “Starts With You” by Canadian born, and now L.A.-based, singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson. The song is actually a departure from her more typical adult contemporary style and repertoire of heartfelt ballads, and I love the sultry dance groove and funky Nile Rodgers-style guitar. After a long, steady climb, the song has finally landed atop my Weekly Top 30.

Sliding into second place is the spaghetti western-esque stunner “I See the Sun” by British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes. Entering the top 10 is Spoon’s rousing and gnarly “The Hardest Cut”, which jumps five spots to #6. And like last week, I wanted to add at least five new songs to this week’s list, but that would require eliminating five songs, which I could not do. Thus, the lone debut this week is Foo Fighters’ “Love Dies Young”, which I probably should have added to my list weeks ago.

  1. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (4)
  2. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (5)
  3. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (1)
  4. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (2)
  5. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (3)
  6. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (11)
  7. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (8)
  8. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (6)
  9. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (9)
  10. SMILE – Wolf Alice (10)
  11. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (7)
  12. U&ME – alt-J (13)
  13. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (14)
  14. WAKE ME UP – Foals (16)
  15. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (12)
  16. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (18)
  17. CHAPSTICK – COIN (19)
  18. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (20)
  19. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (21)
  20. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (22)
  21. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (23)
  22. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (24)
  23. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (25)
  24. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (26)
  25. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (15)
  26. OH MY GOD – Adele (27)
  27. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (17)
  28. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (29)
  29. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (30)
  30. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 30-February 5, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

There’s not a lot of movement on my latest Weekly Top 30, as the top seven songs from last week remain in the top seven this week, albeit with a bit of shuffling of the ones at #s 2-7. Band of Horses’ beautiful song of unrequited love “Crutch” remains at #1 for a second week, and dwi’s “Good Friend” switches places with Kings of Leon’s “Time in Disguise” for the #2 and #3 spots. Canadian-American singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson’s wonderful dance-pop song “Starts With You” moves up a notch to #4, followed close behind at #5 by the marvelous spaghetti western-esque “I See the Sun” by British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes.

There are at least six new songs I wanted to add to this list, but only had room for two: L.A. pop-rock duo Ships Have Sailed’s breathtaking “Broken Hearts” enters at #29, replacing their song “Love in October” after its 14-week run, which itself replaced their previous single “Take My Money”, meaning they’ve continuously had a song on my Weekly Top 30 since mid-August of last year. Welsh artist Secret Postal Society’s uplifting couplet “Something From Nothing/Points of Light” enters at #30.

  1. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (1)
  2. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (3)
  3. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (2)
  4. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (5)
  5. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (7)
  6. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (4)
  7. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (6)
  8. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (9)
  9. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (10)
  10. SMILE – Wolf Alice (12)
  11. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (16)
  12. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (13)
  13. U&ME – alt-J (14)
  14. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (15)
  15. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (8)
  16. WAKE ME UP – Foals (17)
  17. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (11)
  18. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (19)
  19. CHAPSTICK – COIN (20)
  20. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (21)
  21. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (22)
  22. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (24)
  23. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (25)
  24. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (26)
  25. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (27)
  26. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (28)
  27. OH MY GOD – Adele (30)
  28. BEGGIN’ – Måneskin (18)
  29. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (N)
  30. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 23-29, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Song Lists7 Comments

The poignant and beautiful “Crutch” by Band of Horses takes over the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30. It’s their first song to ever top a Billboard chart, recently spending two weeks at #1 on the Adult Alternative Chart. It was a tough decision knocking dwi’s wonderful song “Good Friend” down to #2, as I still love it so much. Finally entering the top 10 are three great songs – Solar Eyes’ “I See the Sun”, Apollo Junction’s “Two Car Family”, and a million rich daughters’ “Left Behind”. Debuting this week are Elvis Costello & the Imposters’ “Magnificent Hurt” and Adele’s “Oh My God”. It took a while for “Magnificent Hurt” to grow on me, because I can sometimes be a real idiot when it comes to music (as well as many other things, unfortunately). But after reading two recent posts about the song and Costello’s new album by fellow blogger Christian’s Music Musings, I finally realized what a terrific song it is. 

The video for “Crutch” is odd but sweet, and features lots of cute cats, so please watch.

  1. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (2)
  2. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (1)
  3. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (4)
  4. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (3)
  5. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (6)
  6. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (7)
  7. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (11)
  8. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (5)
  9. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (12)
  10. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (13)
  11. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (9)
  12. SMILE – Wolf Alice (14)
  13. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (15)
  14. U&ME – alt-J (16)
  15. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (17)
  16. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (19)
  17. WAKE ME UP – Foals (18)
  18. BEGGIN’ – Måneskin (8)
  19. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (20)
  20. CHAPSTICK – COIN (21)
  21. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (22)
  22. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (23)
  23. LOVE IN OCTOBER – Ships Have Sailed (10)
  24. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (25)
  25. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (28)
  26. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (29)
  27. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (30)
  28. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (N)
  29. DON’T BRING ME DOWN – Two Feet (24)
  30. OH MY GOD – Adele (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 16-22, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

I just can’t get enough of those exuberant jangly guitars, driving beats and soaring vocals on the marvelous “Good Friend” by Canadian artist dwi, and it remains my favorite song for a second week. Closing in at #2 is “Crutch” by Band of Horses, and climbing four spots to #4 is the beautiful “Time in Disguise” by Kings of Leon. It’s not doing particularly well on the Alternative charts, which is perplexing to me, especially given that “Bandit” was the top song of 2021 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. The ebullient dance-pop tune “Starts With You” by L.A.-based singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson climbs three spots to #6, and Tears for Fears’ “The Tipping Point” also climbs three spots to #7.

Three songs debut on this week’s chart: Though it’s been out for over three months, “INDUSTRY BABY” by Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow finally enters my chart at #28. Bringing up the rear are new songs by two of my favorite acts from London, England – “Just Like Always” by Oli Barton & the Movement and Maella, and “Redchurch Street Blues” by Philip Morgan Lewis, which enter at #29 & #30, respectively.

  1. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (1)
  2. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (3)
  3. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs featuring Lucius (2)
  4. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (8)
  5. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (4)
  6. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (9)
  7. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (10)
  8. BEGGIN’ – Måneskin (5)
  9. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (6)
  10. LOVE IN OCTOBER – Ships Have Sailed (7)
  11. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (12)
  12. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (13)
  13. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (14)
  14. SMILE – Wolf Alice (15)
  15. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (17)
  16. U&ME – alt-J (18)
  17. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (19)
  18. WAKE ME UP – Foals (20)
  19. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (22)
  20. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (23)
  21. CHAPSTICK – COIN (24)
  22. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (25)
  23. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (26)
  24. DON’T BRING ME DOWN – Two Feet (11)
  25. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (30)
  26. JUSTIFIED – Kacey Musgraves (16)
  27. KALEIDOSCOPE – Soda Cracker Jesus (21)
  28. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (N)
  29. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (N)
  30. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 9-15, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's4 Comments

I’m thrilled to place the lively but poignant song “Good Friend” by Canadian artist dwi at #1 on this week’s Top 30. The music project of insanely creative and talented Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Dwight Abell, dwi was one of my favorite new music discoveries of 2021, and his brilliant debut album Mild Fantasy Violence is among my favorite releases of the year (read my review here). “Good Friend” is about discovering after the fact that a friend had been going through some hard times, and wishing you’d known more at the time so you could have helped them through it. I love the song’s infectious hard-driving melody, colorful guitar work and dwi’s expressive vocals lamenting about his shortcomings as a friend: “Had I known you were broken inside. Had I known you were empty inside. If I was a good friend, I’d a known better. If I was a good friend, I’d have done better./ I’m done with the drugs, but there’s still some left inside.”

In other chart developments, “Crutch” by Band of Horses jumps four spots to #3, Tears for Fears’ “The Tipping Point” enters the top 10, and Mitski debuts with “The Only Heartbreaker”, her first-ever appearance on my Weekly Top 30 chart.

  1. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (2)
  2. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs featuring Lucius (1)
  3. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (7)
  4. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (4)
  5. BEGGIN’ – Måneskin (3)
  6. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (6)
  7. LOVE IN OCTOBER – Ships Have Sailed (8)
  8. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (9)
  9. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (10)
  10. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (12)
  11. DON’T BRING ME DOWN – Two Feet (5)
  12. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (13)
  13. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (14)
  14. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (15)
  15. SMILE – Wolf Alice (16)
  16. JUSTIFIED – Kacey Musgraves (11)
  17. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (19)
  18. U&ME – alt-J (20)
  19. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (21)
  20. WAKE ME UP – Foals (22)
  21. KALEIDOSCOPE – Soda Cracker Jesus (18)
  22. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (25)
  23. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (27)
  24. CHAPSTICK – COIN (28)
  25. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (29)
  26. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (30)
  27. ALL TOO WELL (10 Minute Version) – Taylor Swift (17)
  28. SURVIVOR – Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats (23)
  29. EASY ON ME – Adele (24)
  30. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (N)