Tag: Ships Have Sailed

Top 30 Songs for March 3-9, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

The Black Keys remain on top for a second week with their exuberant foot-stomper “Beautiful People (Stay High), while Cage the Elephant slide into second place with “Neon Pill”. The Lemon Twigs‘ delightful jangle pop gem “My Golden Years” climbs another five spots this week to #5, and Jack Harlow‘s “Lovin On Me” moves up a notch to enter the top 10. British singer-songwriter Bakar, who’s song “Alive!” sits at #8 this week, will be touring with Cage the Elephant and Young the Giant this summer. The biggest upward mover is “Dilemma” by Green Day, leaping 10 spots to #19.

Debuting this week are three songs that have been out for a while. The first, entering at #28, is the enchanting “Water Underground” by Brooklyn, New York-based indie rock band Real Estate, an act who’s been around since 2008 but I only recently learned about. The song is from their wonderful sixth studio album Daniel, released on February 23rd. Entering at #29 is “Landmines” by Canadian rock veterans Sum 41, a band I’ve not followed very closely. The lead single from their forthcoming eighth and final studio album Heaven :x: Hell, set for release on March 29, “Landmines” is the new #1 song on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, finally toppling Blink-182’s “ONE MORE TIME” after its 20-week run. The third new entry, at #30, is “Ice Cream (Pay Phone)”, the infectious latest single by Austin, Texas psychedelic soul band Black Pumas. The duo scored a #1 hit on my chart in December with “More Than a Love Song”. Both songs are from their second studio album Chronicles of a Diamond.

  1. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (1)
  2. NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (4)
  3. NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (2)
  4. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (6)
  5. MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (10)
  6. THE TOWER – Future Islands (7)
  7. MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (8)
  8. ALIVE! – Bakar (9)
  9. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (5)
  10. LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (11)
  11. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (4)
  12. NICE TO KNOW YOU – lovelytheband (14)
  13. YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster (15)
  14. NORMAL PEOPLE THINGS – Lovejoy (16)
  15. BLUSH – Vazum (18)
  16. LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (19)
  17. DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (20)
  18. MEANT TO BE – Wilco (17)
  19. DILEMMA – Green Day (29)
  20. BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport (24)
  21. KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (25)
  22. I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (26)
  23. FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (27)
  24. EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (28)
  25. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (12)
  26. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (13)
  27. GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (30)
  28. WATER UNDERGROUND – Real Estate (N)
  29. LANDMINES – Sum 41 (N)
  30. ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 25-March 2, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's14 Comments

It was only a matter of time before The Black Keys reached the top spot on my weekly chart with their infectiously upbeat single “Beautiful People (Stay High)”. I’m a long-time fan of the duo, comprised of guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, and the song clicked with me the first time I heard it. I love its exuberant melody, bluesy, foot-stomping groove and celebratory chorus. The lead single from their forthcoming twelfth studio album Ohio Players, due for release April 5th, the song was co-written with their longtime collaborators Beck and producer Dan the Automator (aka Daniel M. Nakamura). In a press statement about the recording of the album, Auerbach noted “We’d never worked harder to make a record. It’s never taken us this long to make an album. We took our time and did it right.” Carney added “What we wanted to accomplish with this record was make something that was fun. And something that most bands 20 years into their career don’t make, which is an approachable, fun record that is also cool.” (Pitchfork)

The wonderful video, directed by Chris Saunders, produced by Elizabeth Silver and choreographed by Natalie Fisher, is reminiscent of the ones created for Pharrell Williams’ massive 2014 hit “Happy”, featuring a wide cross-section of people of all ages and ethnicities joyously dancing to the song in various settings.

In other chart developments, the delightful jangle pop gem “My Golden Years” by The Lemon Twigs, climbs another six spots this week to enter the top 10 at #10. Making their debut are “Dilemma” by Green Day, from their latest album Saviors, at #29 (giving them two songs on this chart), and the gospel-like “Good People”, an interesting collaboration between British folk-rock band Mumford & Sons and the aforementioned American singer-songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams. at #30.

  1. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (2)
  2. NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (1)
  3. NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (4)
  4. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (3)
  5. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (7)
  6. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (8)
  7. THE TOWER – Future Islands (9)
  8. MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (10)
  9. ALIVE! – Bakar (11)
  10. MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (16)
  11. LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (13)
  12. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (5)
  13. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (6)
  14. NICE TO KNOW YOU – lovelytheband (17)
  15. YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster (18)
  16. NORMAL PEOPLE THINGS – Lovejoy (19)
  17. MEANT TO BE – Wilco (20)
  18. BLUSH – Vazum (21)
  19. LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (22)
  20. DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (23)
  21. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (12)
  22. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (14)
  23. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (15)
  24. BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport (26)
  25. KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (27)
  26. I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (28)
  27. FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (29)
  28. EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (30)
  29. DILEMMA – Green Day (N)
  30. GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 18-24, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's4 Comments

There’s so much great music out now that it pains me to have to limit this week’s chart to only 30 songs. The gorgeous duet “Northern Attitude” by Noah Kahan and Hozier holds onto the top spot for a second week, while The Black Keys‘ “Beautiful People (Stay High)” moves up two spots to #2. The biggest upward mover again this week is “Neon Pill” by Cage the Elephant, leaping 10 spots to #4, and entering the top 10 are “The Tower” by Future Islands and “Mother Nature” by MGMT. Another big upward mover this week is the delightful “My Golden Years” by The Lemon Twigs, jumping six spots to #16.

Three stupendous songs make their debut this week. The first, entering at #28, is “I’m in Love” by Jelani Aryeh, a remarkably talented young Filipino/African-American singer and songwriter from San Diego I recently learned about from fellow blogger K.F. Hartless (who has a wonderful blog Yard Sale of Thoughts, in which she pairs her outstanding poetry with specially selected songs). Aryeh’s music is a glorious blend of indie rock, R&B, hip-hop, pop and experimental sounds, and I fell in love with his infectious song the moment I heard it. The second debut, coming in at #29, is the heartwarming “Find My Way” by L.A.-based duo Ships Have Sailed (which I reviewed last month). It’s their sixth song to appear in my Top 30. Finally, we have “Everything We Need” by Southern California duo Mojave Grey, entering at #30. Based in Joshua Tree and consisting of Zander Bleck and Michael Pozzi, they play a captivating and sophisticated style of electronic music they call Desert Minimal Rock, drawing inspiration from such electronic dance acts as RÜFÜS DU SOL and Bob Moses.

  1. NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (1)
  2. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (4)
  3. LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (2)
  4. NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (14)
  5. ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (3)
  6. NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (6)
  7. BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (9)
  8. WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (10)
  9. THE TOWER – Future Islands (11)
  10. MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (12)
  11. ALIVE! – Bakar (13)
  12. MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (7)
  13. LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (15)
  14. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (5)
  15. WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (8)
  16. MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (22)
  17. NICE TO KNOW YOU – lovelytheband (18)
  18. YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster (19)
  19. NORMAL PEOPLE THINGS – Lovejoy (20)
  20. MEANT TO BE – Wilco (21)
  21. BLUSH – Vazum (25)
  22. LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (26)
  23. DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (27)
  24. COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (16)
  25. MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (17)
  26. BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport (29)
  27. KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (30)
  28. I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (N)
  29. FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (N)
  30. EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (N)

SHIPS HAVE SAILED – Single Review: “Find My Way”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews11 Comments

A long-time favorite music act of mine is Los Angeles-based duo Ships Have Sailed. Comprised of singer-songwriter and musician Will Carpenter and drummer Art Andranikyan, together they play an incredibly pleasing style of alternative pop-rock featuring beautiful melodies, intelligent, uplifting lyrics, outstanding arrangements and instrumentation, and sublime vocals. They’ve released a lot of music since 2013, including three albums, three EPs and many singles. I’ve loved all their music and have written about them numerous times on this blog over the past five years. (You can read some of those reviews by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post.) Several of their songs have appeared on my Weekly Top 30 chart, with two of them – “Escape” in 2019 and “Breathe” in 2021, going all the way to #1.

Photo of Will and Art by Gentle Giant Digital

On January 21st, the guys dropped their latest single “Find My Way“, a beautiful, heartwarming song written at the request of an English woman they’d met some time ago while on tour in the U.K., and who wanted help telling her personal story of an epic trip she took across America with her now-deceased husband. Will elaborates on the song and its creation: “‘Find My Way’ is a story of profound love, profound loss, and the journey of finding yourself again. Despite that, this song isn’t a sad one – it’s a note of gratitude for the moments we do have and the memories that are created from our time here on earth, the people we get to know while we’re here and the relationships that grow more and more special with every moment. This song is dedicated to our dear friend who we met on tour a few years ago in the U.K., and to her late husband who we never had the chance to meet. Two soul mates whose love was palpable, they dreamed of taking a once-in-a-lifetime road trip across the U.S. and finally did after years of planning. But shortly after they returned, he passed away unexpectedly. This song is our tribute to them and to holding your loved ones close.”

The song was written by Will, who co-produced it with Dan Sadin, mixed by Fernando Reyes and mastered by John Greenham. It’s really lovely, with a buoyant, toe-tapping groove overlain with layers of slightly twangy strummed guitars and a gentle, galloping beat that lend the song more of a folk vibe than a lot of their music. The soothing background synths and clicking percussion sounds add interesting texture to the proceedings, making for a richer and more complex overall sound, and the wonderful soaring choruses call to mind some of the great songs by OneRepublic.

As always, Will’s arresting vocals are beautiful, conveying both strength of conviction and a heartfelt vulnerability as he sings the poignant lyrics: “Memories of trips we’ve taken, all the things we’ve seen. Thousands of the miles we traveled, chasing down our dreams. Thought the road was never ending, we’d have the rest of time. Reached the end without a warning, I guess we missed the sign.”

The sweet video features moments from Will and Art’s own stories, captured by photographer Andrei Duman, as well as personal photos provided by their friends to whom the song is dedicated. The visual treatments and typography were created by Jody Talmadge.

Follow Ships Have Sailed: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music / YouTube / Pandora/ Amazon

Top 30 Songs for May 22-28, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's4 Comments

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

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

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

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

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

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments

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)

Top 30 Songs for April 24-30, 2022

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The mysterious and smoldering “Deception” by British singer-songwriter Hannah Reem, with stunning cinematic music by producer-composer Noodle Beard, is my favorite song for a second week. I think Hannah’s powerful, sultry vocals would hold their own up against many of today’s top-rated female singers. This song is so good – to my ears anyway – that I want it to keep going for nine or ten minutes. I guess I’ll just have to keep hitting replay!

Harry Styles jumps eight spots to #2 with his exuberant earworm “As It Was”. Though I was not a fan of One Direction (the boy band he was a member of in his teens, for those who are somehow unaware), I really like a lot of his music as a solo artist, and his latest single is terrific. According to an article in the webzine Stylecaster, though Styles hasn’t confirmed the song’s meaning, many believe it’s about his relationship with fame and how his life isn’t “the same as it was” since becoming a music star, expressed by the lyrics “In this world, it’s just us. You know it’s not the same as it was.” The song also alludes to his loneliness and concern from others as he isolates himself from the world, opening with a child’s voice (an actual phone recording of his goddaughter Ruby Winston) saying: “Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you,” and in the second verse Styles acknowledges “Answer the phone. ‘Harry, you’re no good alone. Why are you sitting at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?’”

Otherwise, just the typical chart movement this week as older songs slowly move down to make way for newer ones on their way up. The Black Keys‘ “Wild Child” climbs four spots to #4, as does Florence + the Machine‘s “My Love”, which moves up to #11. Yet again, I wanted to add at least five new songs to this list, but only had slots for two: Bastille‘s delightfully upbeat Calypso-infused “Shut Off the Lights”, and the mesmerizing “Miracle Mile” by Welsh electro-punk band Head Noise, which enter at #29 and #30 respectively. I love Bastille lead singer Dan Smith’s distinctive vocals, and am glad they’re still going strong after 10 years. And I’ve been following self-described oddball band Head Noise for a couple of years, and for me, the epic “Miracle Mile”, from their recently-released EP SCRAM, is their best song yet.

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

Top 30 Songs for April 17-23, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments

This is my first post in a week, the longest stretch I’ve gone without writing a post in my blog’s nearly seven-year history, as I’ve been hit with another crippling bout of writer’s block. But I cannot miss sharing my latest Weekly Top 30, and this week brings a few exciting new developments. First of all, “Deception”, the stunning collaboration between soulful-voiced British singer-songwriter Hannah Reem and producer-composer Noodle Beard, takes over the top spot. The dramatic song is a dark and twisted love story about infidelity and the complexities surrounding painful choices, set to a smoldering, cinematic trip hop soundscape. Hannah explained her inspiration for writing the song: “I’ve felt fury and been forced to lose, I’ve been homeless and broke, felt like a joke, and cheated on by those that I choose. But I’ll get through.” As I’ve mentioned on previous posts, “Deception” would make a great James Bond theme song, and even after having it on repeat for the past month and a half, it still has the power to cover me with chills. It’s an incredible song that deserves to be a huge worldwide hit.

In other chart highlights this week, The Black Keys‘ “Wild Child” leaps eight spots to #8, and the hauntingly beautiful “My Love” by Florence + the Machine jumps seven spots to #15. As always, there’s so much great music out now, with about 10 songs I wanted to add to my list. Alas, I had room for only three new ones: Harry Styles‘ delightful “As It Was” enters high up the chart at #10 (it debuted at #1 last week on the Billboard Hot 100), while Weezer‘s “A Little Bit of Love” and Foals‘ “2am” enter at #29 and #30.

  1. DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (3)
  2. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (1)
  3. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement with Maella (2)
  4. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (5)
  5. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (4)
  6. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (8)
  7. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (9)
  8. WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (16)
  9. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (10)
  10. AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (N)
  11. BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlisle (12)
  12. CAVIAR – Two Feet (6)
  13. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (7)
  14. CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (14)
  15. MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (22)
  16. SLEEP – Gooseberry (17)
  17. CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (18)
  18. WILD – Spoon (21)
  19. I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (15)
  20. B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (11)
  21. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (13)
  22. LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (25)
  23. ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (26)
  24. THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (27)
  25. VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (28)
  26. DISTANCE – Mount Famine (29)
  27. BLOODRUSH – The Amazons (30)
  28. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (20)
  29. A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE – Weezer (N)
  30. 2am – Foals (N)