“Going Shopping” by American rock band The Strokes ascends to #1 on my latest Top 30 chart. Formed in New York City in 1998, The Strokes consist of singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. Backed by a lighthearted, bouncy groove, Casablancas muses about materialism, growing older, societal alienation and the never-ending push and pull of city vs. country living. The song is from their forthcoming seventh studio album Reality Awaits, due for release on June 26th.
In other chart developments of note, “Self Aware”, the debut single by Israeli band Temper City, climbs four spots to enter the top 10 at #7. Since its release four months ago, the song has been streamed nearly 217 million times on Spotify alone. I’ve come to love “Good2B” by American rock band Goose, consequently, it’s this week’s biggest upward mover, leaping ten spots to #11. And the lone debut, entering at #29, is “Doors” by Noah Kahan. The song replaces his single “The Great Divide”, which leaves my chart after 18 weeks, three of them at #1.
GOING SHOPPING – The Strokes (2)
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (1)
HEADLIGHTS – In Color (5)
HOMEWRECKER – Sombr (6)
FREAKIN’ OUT – Dexter and The Moonrocks (7)
DROP DEAD – Olivia Rodrigo (10)
SELF AWARE – Temper City (11)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (3)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (4)
DRAG PATH – Twenty One Pilots (8)
GOOD2B – Goose (21)
UNTIL THE SUN EXPLODES – Sublime (15)
TO LOVE SOMEBODY – Holly Humberstone (14)
DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE – Young the Giant (9)
DYING TO LOVE – Bad Omens (13)
IN MY ROOM – Julia Wolf (18)
EXIT WOUND – Ships Have Sailed (19)
RIDE LONESOME – Beck (20)
PICKING DRAGONS’ POCKETS – Modest Mouse (24)
RAGING HALLS – Lyia Meta (25)
HEAVY FOOT – Mon Rovîa (12)
REPEAT OFFENDER – Gloom Is Okay (29)
BACK IN LOVE – Suki Waterhouse (27)
MARATHONS – Sorry Ghost (28)
STARLIGHT – Cannons (23)
ONLINE – Western Jaguar (30)
BE WITH YOU – Muse (16)
WAITING FOR ME – Talk in Waves (17) 20th week on chart
Death Cab for Cutie remain at #1 for a second week with “Riptides”, while The Strokes slide into second place with “Going Shopping”. Olivia Rodrigo finally enters my top 10 with “Drop Dead“.
Four songs enter my chart this week, and each is accompanied by a terrific video. Therefore, instead of embedding the video of my #1 song, I’m sharing the videos for each of my four new entries, the first of which is the wonderfully sultry “Back in Love” by the very beguiling English singer-songwriter, model and actress Suki Waterhouse. The song will be included on her forthcoming third studio album Loveland, scheduled for release on July 10th. It’s her second song to appear on my chart, following “Supersad”, which peaked at #11 in late 2024.
Coming in at #28 is “marathons” by the irrepressibly charming indie pop/rock band Sorry Ghost. Originally formed as a pop punk band in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but now based in Los Angeles since 2021, the band consists of Matt Polito (guitar, vocals) Dan Anton (bass, lead vocals), Tate Silver (drums) and Sean Duong (guitar, vocals). It’s their second song to appear on my chart, following last year’s delightful “polyester (yes sir)”, which ranks #55 on my 100 Best Songs of 2025 list. The guys have a wicked sense of humor, frequently delighting their fans with hilarious and endearing video reels of themselves on Instagram and TikTok. Their music videos are also highly entertaining and creative, as is definitely the case with the one for “marathons”:
Next up is “Repeat Offender” by Scottish alternative metal band Gloom is Okay. It isn’t often I’m blown away the first time I hear a song, but I have to say I was immediately stunned by the dramatic beauty and majestic impact of “Repeat Offender”. Based in Glasgow, Gloom is Okay is comprised of frontman Martin Walker (vocals, guitars, synths, programming) Iain MacLeod (bass) and Mark Norris (drums). It’s their first new music in three years, since their excellent 2023 self-titled EP Gloom is Okay, which I reviewed on this blog. “Repeat Offender” is the lead single from their forthcoming debut album Nothing Human. Walker says the song is essentially about handling narcissistic people.
Coming in at #30 is “Online” by Canadian artist Western Jaguar, the music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Trainor. Based in the beautiful Fraser River Valley east of Vancouver, British Columbia, the earnest, amiable musician makes what he calls joyfully sad music and has been a favorite of mine since learning about him in late 2018. I’ve featured him numerous times on this blog and several of his songs have appeared on my chart, two of which – “Disappear” (2019) and “Darling” (2023) – went all the way to #1. Jeff never fails to write thought-provoking lyrics set to infectious melodies, and “Online” hooked me at first listen. The song was inspired by his fear of the impact of the internet on our lives: “I wanted to capture that shady, seedy feeling the web can have. Who knows who’s real or what’s real nowadays. Hell, can I even prove to you I’m real? But there is this almost superiority complex or confidence that can come from the modern digital age that just seems off.”
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (1)
GOING SHOPPING – The Strokes (4)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (2)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (3)
After a two-week hiatus due to being on vacation in Georgia and western North Carolina, I’m back with my latest top 30 chart. American indie pop-rock band Death Cab for Cutie jumps four spots to take over the #1 spot with their pensive single “Riptides”, displacing last week’s top song “Slumber Party” by Brigitte Calls Me Baby. Formed in 1997, Death Cab for Cutie currently consists of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboards, guitar), and Jason McGerr (drums). “Riptides” is the lead single from their 11th studio album I Built You a Tower, which dropped this past Friday, June 5th. The album’s rather melancholic yet upbeat tone was inspired by band frontman and songwriter Ben Gibbard’s experiences dealing with the end of his marriage while also constantly being on tour. I’ve been a longtime fan of Death Cab for Cutie and have always loved Gibbard’s comforting tenor vocals. They previously topped my chart with “Gold Rush” in 2018, though “Here to Forever” reached #2 in 2022.
There are two new debuts this week, however, a total of five songs have entered my charts since my last post so I’ll mention them all. First off is the lovely “Exit Wound” by another longtime favorite act Ships Have Sailed. Based in Los Angeles, the duo is made up of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Will Carpenter and drummer Art Andranikyan, though more recently they’ve collaborated with a number of other songwriters and musicians. I’ve written about them for this blog more times than I can remember, and several of their songs have appeared on my charts. “Exit Wound” was co-written by Carpenter and Bill O’Hanlon.
Next up is “Ride Lonesome” by singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Beck. Released in April, the song is his first new music in two years and has a laid-back Americana sound. I like how he continually changes up his sound, keeping it fresh by his willingness to venture into new styles and genres.
The third song among the three previous debuts is the very cool-sounding “Good2B” by American rock band Goose (not to be confused with the band Geese), which currently consists of Rick Mitarotonda (guitar, vocals), Trevor Weeks (bass, vocals, poetry), Peter Anspach (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Cotter Ellis (drums, vocals). Their eclectic jam band sound has been compared to the funk and progressive rock influences of Phish and Umphrey’s McGee and the folk, jazz, and blues influences of the Grateful Dead. The song will be included on their sixth studio album Big Modern, set for release on June 12th.
The first of this week’s two new entries is “Picking Dragons’ Pockets” by the always zany and unorthodox Portland, Oregon-based alt-rock band Modest Mouse. Formed in 1993, the band has undergone numerous personnel changes over the years and presently consists of frontman and founding member Isaac Brock (lead vocals, guitars, banjo), Russell Higbee (bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Ben Massarella (drums, percussion), Simon O’Connor (guitar, backing vocals), Damon Cox (drums, percussion) and Keith Karman (keyboards, guitar, bass, backing vocals). The song is from their eighth studio album An Eraser and a Maze, which also dropped this past Friday, June 5th.
An interesting tidbit of info I found on their Wikipedia page referenced a 2016 study conducted by Italian music data company Musixmatch which surveyed 43,414 songs spanning multiple genres. It found that Modest Mouse was one of the most profane bands among the subjects categorized as “indie rock,” second only to The Neighborhood (whose song “Hula Girl” recently topped my chart). It was estimated that Modest Mouse used profanity every 310 words, and that the top three swear words uttered by the band were “shit,” “fuck” and “ass,” respectively.
The second new entry this week, and the final of five overall, is the hard-hitting “Raging Halls” by insanely talented Malaysian artist Lyia Meta. A highly accomplished, award-winning and Grammy-nominated Renaissance woman, Lyia is a singer, songwriter, musician and vocal coach, as well as a writer, teacher and visual artist whose work spans multiple media formats. Possessing a rich contralto singing voice, she’s recorded songs across a wide range of genres including blues, jazz, pop, country, rock and metal. She ranks among my favorite female vocalists, and I’ve featured her numerous times on this blog. We’ve been following each other on social media since 2018, and I finally had the pleasure of meeting Lyia and her husband Zack in person in January when they were in Los Angeles.
“Raging Halls” was co-written by Lyia and E.G. Holmes, who co-produced the track with her longtime Nashville-based collaborator Bob McGilpin, who also played lead and rhythm guitar, bass, drums and synths. Additional contributions on the track include rhythm guitar by Christian Wentz, guitar and synths by John Foster, orchestration and keyboards by Gene Rabbai and backing harmonies by Lisa Brokop. Lyia says the song “explores the tension between desire, risk, and the moment where hesitation transforms into action.”
RIPTIDES – Death Cab for Cutie (5)
SLUMBER PARTY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (1)
BEDROOM POSTERS – Yellowcard feat. Good Charlotte (3)
At the end of each year, I publish a list of my Top 100 Songs, representing my picks for what I think are the best songs – my favorites actually – for the entire year. This year, at the suggestion of John Gilbert, guitarist and lead vocalist of Missouri folk rock band Voodoo Planet, I’ve also compiled a list of my 100 favorite indie songs of 2024 (their song “Adrift” is included in this list). Because I follow, and am followed by, many indie musicians and bands on the various social media platforms, I want to highlight some of the really outstanding music being made by them that’s every bit as good as that from mainstream acts.
These are not “indie” songs in terms of genre (though there are many that fall into that overall category), but songs by independent or unsigned music acts. Some are in fact signed to music labels, but they’re usually small, independently owned labels. There are 89 acts represented in this list, the majority of which are from the U.S., Canada and the U.K., but also from Australia, Malaysia, Norway, Spain, Germany and Ukraine. Of course, I must make note of the fact that this list contains only songs I’m aware of, and that there are likely hundreds or even thousands of other songs that deserve to be here, except that I’ve never heard them.
Though they’re ranked from #1 to 100, it doesn’t mean that a song at #30 is better than one at #70. That said, the ones closer to the top are my very favorites. And though I’d love to write a narrative about each song and artist, given my limited time and energy, not to mention people’s short attention spans, I’ve decided against that. I’ve created playlists on both Spotify and YouTube, which are included after the list itself. Enjoy!
LIKE YOU DO – Talk in Waves
ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS
THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses
WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua
A FORETOLD ECSTASY – Mayflower Madame
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse
I’VE GOT LOVING FOR YOU – Bottlecap Mountain
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters
WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH
FOR US ALL – Asgard Raven
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights
YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton
BLUSH – Vazum
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – Dead Slow Hoot
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed
WAR – HEALER
GOLD – Caitlin Lavagna
HONEY – Mr Bewlay
MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano
TOO MUCH OR NOT ENOUGH? – Candid
YOUR WORLD NOW – Marc Schuster
WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo, Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso & Gabrielle Marella & the voice of Tony Milillo
VICES – 5ilas & Shimmer Johnson
ADRIFT – Voodoo Planet & Mikey J
BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport
PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn
AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society
HOLOGRAM – Raker
GOOD TIMES GO – The Kid and I
JUST WANNA SLEEP – Halfloves
IT’S OVER NOW – Oli Barton
DYING TO MEET YOU – Gooseberry
OH, WELL – John Serrano
SUBMARINE – Homeless Radio
BRAND NEW DAY – Ben Gorb
DOWNING STREET – Brain Ape
LOOSIE LUNA – Coppa Londra
TEMPTATION – Pylon Poets
WHY DO YOU CARE – The Muldoons
I AM AM I? – NAVE
THIS ALL ENDS HERE – Minus Cube & Natalie Lucie
NEW PONY – The Nanners
KEEPING SCORE – Snap Infraction
WAKE ME UP – HEALER
ODYSSEY – Josephine Pascoe
LIKE THE SUN – A.Wake
SMALL MERCIES – Brian Lambert & Marc Schuster
EASIER AND EASIER – Lyia Meta
VICTIM – Frank Joshua
SMUDGE – Mock Deer
THE LOST – The Ocean Beneath
INVISIBLE INK – Ships Have Sailed
BY DESIGN – Amongst Liars & Felin
LITTLE SELF-INDULGENT – Western Jaguar
PIECE OF CAKE – Bottlecap Mountain
COLLISION – The Zangwills
ROADS – HULLAH
GUYS LIKE YOU – Olivia Miceli
YOUTH – The 23’s
STATELINE – Nathan Ball
CHASING YOUR DREAMS – Asgard Raven
ELEVEN – Minus Cube & P’like
DREAM TONIGHT – The Ocean Beneath & Liz Mann
SELF CONTROL – John Laurant, Ron van den Beuken & Shimmer Johnson
THE BEST – Thunder Fox
NEW MOON – Morning Fuzz
REPOSSESS – Western Jaguar
YOU ARE NOT A SLAVE – Amongst Liars
CREATURE FEATURE – dwi
BAD LUCK – The Macrotones
WITCH TRAIN – The Blackburns
NOCTURNALLY YOURS – Scoopski
TANTALUS – John Serrano
REAL COLORS – The Nanners
DO YOU REALLY WANNA KNOW? – Set the Tone
PRETTY ALRIGHT – Caitlin Lavagna
LET’S RUN AWAY – Solar Eyes
ONE ROOM PAST WAITING – Chief Springs
ARE YOU REALLY FREE? – Alba
FIREBIRD – Josephine Pascoe
CHILDHOOD FRIENDS – naive nature
SPACE TRAVEL – Sandrom
MORE – Andrew Neil and Code Purple
SMALL TIME FISH (BIG TIME POND) – Sorry Ghost
THE VOID – Fuzzle
GREEN EYED MONSTER – Olivia Miceli
ALL I WANT – The Heroic Enthusiasts
WHY DON’T YOU LOVE ME – Tom Burton
COCK OF THE FIFTH YEAR – The Empty Page
NOT READY YET – Sean Magwire
GHOST – Grizzly Madams
ALWAYS DO – Melody Zenith
MISSED YOU – Mal Fantome
WOULD YOU WANT IT (IF YOU HAD IT) – The Barons
THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF WHAT IF – Eleanor Collides & Emily Gray
MISSIO holds on to the top spot on my chart for a third week with “Time”, one of the many outstanding songs from their latest album I AM CINCO, an epic work featuring 26 tracks that dropped this past Friday, May 3rd. (Read my review and interview with the guys here.) Green Day moves into second place with “Dilemma”, while Royel Otis climb two spots to #3 with their delightful cover of “Murder on the Dance Floor”. Hozier‘s “Too Sweet” leaps another eight spots this week, entering the top 10 at #7, while Black Pumas‘ “Ice Cream (Pay Phone)” moves up a notch to enter the top 10 at #10. Also moving up eight spots are “Capricorn” by Vampire Weekend, to #18, and “Creatures in Heaven” by Glass Animals, to #19.
The sole debut this week, at #30, is “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift, featuring Post Malone, who co-wrote the song with Swift and singer-songwriter/producer Jack Antonoff. The downtempo synthpop ballad is from her latest and 15th album The Tortured Poets Department, which has received generally positive reviews and broken numerous sales and streaming records. The album, released April 19th after weeks of advance hype, features 16 tracks. But only two hours later, Swift surprise-released a double album edition, subtitled The Anthology and containing 15 bonus tracks, for a total of 31 in two volumes. While I’m not a huge fan of Swift, I do acknowledge her strong songwriting abilities, and really like some of her songs. As an example of her massive popularity, she currently holds every single one of the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Fortnight” at #1.
TIME – MISSIO (1)
DILEMMA – Green Day (3)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (5)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (2)
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (4)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (6)
TOO SWEET – Hozier (15)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (7)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (9)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (11)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (13)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (12)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (14)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (8)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (10)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (19)
MISSIO remain on top for a second week with their hauntingly beautiful song “Time”, one of the many great tracks that will be featured on their forthcoming monumental album I AM CINCO, to be released next Friday, May 3rd. “Overcompensate” by twenty one pilots moves up a notch to #2, while “Dilemma” by Green Day reverses course by moving back up to #3. Australian duo Royel Otis climb two spots to #5 with their delightful cover of “Murder on the Dance Floor”, and “Good People”, by Mumford & Sons and Pharrell Williams, finally enters the top 10 at #10. The song recently spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart.
The biggest upward mover is “Too Sweet”, by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, jumping eight spots to #15. The song has quickly become an unexpected hit that’s even surprised the singer, reaching #1 in many countries including the U.S., where it’s become his highest-charting single and first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, besting his monster hit “Take Me to Church”, which peaked at #2.
Three songs make their debut this week, the first of which is “Broken Man” by American artist St. Vincent, the musical project of uniquely talented and innovative singer-songwriter and musician Annie Clark, coming in at #28. The song is from her seventh studio album All Born Screaming, which dropped this past Friday, April 26th. The second new entry, at #29, is “Loneliness” by the legendary British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. The song is the lead single from their fifteenth studio album Nonetheless, which also dropped this past Friday. They were one of my favorite acts from 1986-88, and I’m happy they’re still putting out new music all these years later. The third new entry is “For Us All”, a superb song by English singer-songwriter Asgard Raven, which I reviewed last week.
TIME – MISSIO (1)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (3)
DILEMMA – Green Day (5)
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (2)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (7)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (4)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (6)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (9)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (10)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (12)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (14)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (15)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (17)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (16)
TOO SWEET – Hozier (23)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (8)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (11)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (19)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (20)
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – Dead Slow Hoot (22)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (13)
GOOD TIMES GO – The Kid and I (24)
I’VE GOT LOVING FOR YOU – Bottlecap Mountain (25)
MUSTANG – Kings of Leon (26)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (18)
Austin, Texas-based duo MISSIO have been one of my favorite acts ever since I first learned about them and their music back in 2017. I love their uniquely eclectic sound that’s an arresting blend of alternative rock, electronic and hip hop, and have written about them several times on this blog. Three of their songs – “I See You”, “Underground” and “Can You Feel the Sun” – have reached #1 on my Weekly Top 30, and now their darkly captivating “Time” joins that esteemed group by ascending to the top spot on my latest chart. The gorgeous song will be included on their forthcoming fifth album I AM CINCO, an epic work scheduled for release on May 3rd. I love Matthew Brue’s distinctive tenor voice, which sounds especially vulnerable and heartfelt here. And the complexity of their arrangements, combined with intricate instrumentation, always makes for an exciting listen. The simple but profound lyrics touch on anxieties over some of the issues facing our current world and society, with MISSIO reminding us that “time goes wherever you are, now, in each moment” and to “live like it’s your last because you’re not guaranteed a tomorrow.”
In other chart highlights, “Overcompensate” by twenty one pilots inches up a notch to #3, “Kool Aid Blue” by Canadian band The Sylvia Platters moves up one to #6 and “Murder On the Dance Floor” by Australian duo Royel Otis advances three spots to #7. The dreamy “Everything We Need” by electro-rock duo Mojave Grey enters the top 10 at #10.
Two songs make their debut this week. The first, and long overdue, is “Capricorn” by New York City-based indie rock/art pop band Vampire Weekend, entering at #29. I love frontman Ezra Koenig’s pleasing drawl, that lovely piano riff and the gnarly cinematic chorus. The poignant song, described by Alex Hudson of Canadian music webzine Exclaim! as being about the “aching, unavoidable melancholy of growing old and discovering that adults feel just as powerless as kids do“, is from their fifth studio album Only God Was Above Us, which dropped April 5th.
Entering at #30 is “Creatures in Heaven” by English indie/psychedelic pop/rock band Glass Animals. Like the aforementioned Vampire Weekend, their music is hard to classify, as both bands incorporate a myriad of genres and styles into their sound. The song is the lead single from their forthcoming fourth album I Love You So F***ing Much, scheduled for release on July 19th. In an interview with Consequence Sound, band frontman Dave Bayley – whose singing voice I adore – said the song is about “a moment in time, having the capacity to be enormously formative and life-changing.”
TIME – MISSIO (2)
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (1)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (4)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (3)
DILEMMA – Green Day (5)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (7)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (10)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (6)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (9)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (12)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (8)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (15)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (11)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (16)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (17)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (18)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (19)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (13)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (20)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (22)
I think “My Golden Years” by The Lemon Twigs is a perfect power pop tune, and I just can’t get enough of it. Consequently, it remains at #1 on my Top 30 for a third week. Aiming for the top spot, the hauntingly beautiful “Time” by MISSIO slides into second place, while twenty one pilots‘ “Overcompensate” moves up a notch to #4. Entering the top 10 at #9 is the delightful dance-pop song “I’m in Love” by San Diego singer-songwriter Jelani Aryeh, followed by the equally delightful “Murder On the Dance Floor” by Australian guitar-pop duo Royel Otis, jumping six spots to #10.
Two songs make their debut on my chart this week, the first of which is “Mustang” by Kings of Leon. While I’m a pretty big fan of theirs, this song took a while to grow on me, as I initially found Caleb Followill’s screaming vocals a bit off-putting. “Mustang” was the lead single from their forthcoming ninth studio album Can We Please Have Fun, scheduled for release on May 10. Entering at #30 is “Two Sweet” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. Shockingly, the song debuted at #5 two weeks ago on the Billboard Hot 100, and currently sits at #4, a major feat for an artist like Hozier in today’s streaming-dominated chart. My guess is that the song must have gone viral on TikTok. In any case, it’s another great song by this talented and beloved artist, so seeing it ranked so highly on the Hot 100 is a welcome sight indeed.
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (1)
TIME – MISSIO (3)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (2)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (5)
DILEMMA – Green Day (4)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (9)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (10)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (9)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (11)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (16)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (12)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (13)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (6)
BLUSH – Vazum (7)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (15)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (17)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (18)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (19)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (22)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (23)
LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (14)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (24)
The marvelous jangle-pop masterpiece “My Golden Years” by The Lemon Twigs holds firm at #1 for a second week on my latest Top 30 chart. I love this song, and never tire of hearing it. “Neon Pill” by Cage the Elephant holds at #2 for a second week, after spending two weeks at #1, and the gorgeous “Time” by MISSIO inches up a notch to #3. Another wonderful jangle-pop/rock song, “Kool Aid Blue” by Canadian band The Sylvia Platters, enters the top 10. The biggest upward mover this week is “Murder On the Dance Floor” by Australian guitar-pop duo Royel Otis, jumping seven spots to #16.
For a second consecutive week, there are three new entries to my chart. The first, coming in at #28, is “Take It Or Leave It”, a melancholy but beautiful song by Sheffield, England-based alternative rock band Dead Slow Hoot, who’ve been putting out great indie rock since 2016. Next up is the delightfully boisterous “Good Times Go” by another English alternative indie rock four-piece, London-based The Kid and I, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. Bringing up the rear at #30 is the terrific “I’ve Got Loving For You” by Austin, Texas-based rock & roll band Bottlecap Mountain, which I also recently reviewedin a Fresh New Tracks post.
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (1)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (2)
TIME – MISSIO (4)
DILEMMA – Green Day (3)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (5)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (6)
BLUSH – Vazum (8)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (9)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (10)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (11)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (12)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (13)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (14)
LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (7)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (17)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (23)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (20)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (21)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (22)
WATER UNDERGROUND – Real Estate (18)
LANDMINES – Sum 41 (19)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (25)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (28)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (29)
One of the more interesting music acts around today is American indie rock duo The Lemon Twigs, consisting of the hyper-talented and charismatic brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario. Raised in a musical household on Long Island, New York (their father Ronnie D’Addario is a musician and songwriter in his own right), the two learned to play instruments and sing at an early age. Both Brian and Michael also had extensive stage experience as children; Brian played Gavroche in Les Miserables and Flounder in The Little Mermaid on Broadway, while Michael appeared in The Coast of Utopia, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and the 2008 production of All My Sons, as well in a variety of television shows and films, such as John Adams on HBO, Are We There Yet? on TBS, and the 2012 films People Like Us and Sinister.
The brothers formed The Lemon Twigs while they were both in high school, with each performing lead vocals, lead guitar, drums and other instruments. They cite as their major music influences bands ranging from The Beatles and Beach Boys to Procol Harum and Queen. They recorded their first album Go Hollywood in the spring of 2015, when the two were only 15 and 17 years old. (Both celebrate birthdays in March, and recently turned 24 and 26.) The album, released in October 2016 through British record label 4AD, was well-received by critics and earned them appearances on TV programs like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, CBS This Morning “Saturday Sessions” and Conan. They garnered a coveted spot at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California in April 2017, and during their performance they were joined by Todd Rundgren, who the brothers call one of their “favorite musicians ever, in the whole world”. That summer, they went on play at several major festivals, including Glastonbury, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza, Austin City, and the Montreux. (Wikipedia)
Photo by Stephanie Pia
Their power pop gem “My Golden Years”, the lead single from their forthcoming fifth studio album A Dream Is All We Know (co-produced by the band and Sean Ono Lennon, and set for release on May 3), is my new favorite song this week and ascends to the #1 spot. The song seems to pay homage to some of the great songs from the 60s by acts like The Byrds and Beach Boys, as well as early 70s The Raspberries. I absolutely love those gorgeous jangly Rickenbacker guitars and Beach Boys-esque harmonies. I’ve been listening to a lot of their music catalog, much of which is outstanding, but I think “My Golden Years” is their best song yet.
The fun video, directed by Ambar Navarro, features the brothers and their touring band members Danny Ayala and Reza Matin performing the song and romping about Los Angeles and the surrounding countryside. Navarro said the song and video are about “looking back at the good old days, and the highs and lows of trying to make it as a band.”
There are three new entries to my chart this week, beginning with a long-overdue arrival of Foo Fighters‘ “The Glass”, coming in at #28. I like the song a lot, but it kept getting nudged out by other songs I liked better. The second debut, at #29, is “thoughts I have while lying in my bed” by Phoenix, Arizona-based alternative pop-rock band The Maine, featuring added vocals by Nick Santino of pop-rock band Beach Weather (who are one of my current favorite bands). The original version of the song by The Maine was released last August as the fourth single from their self-titled ninth studio album The Maine. The Maine lead singer John O’Callaghan and Nick Santino, both of whom are 35 years old and whose singing voices sound quite similar to each other, are long-time friends, and when John invited Nick to record a new version, Nick jumped at the chance. About the collaboration, John stated, “It’s not often that I get to hear someone else sing on a tune of ours. It’s even less frequent to hear someone I’ve known for 17 years on that same tune. I’m forever a fan of Nick and his voice, and now it makes it 50% less weird to listen to the thoughts I have.” The new version was released on November 24, 2023, and is finally gaining traction on the Alternative charts.
The third debut is the darkly beautiful and mesmerizing “Ceiling Tiles” by Portland, Oregon-based psychedelic shoegaze supergroup Sun Atoms. I learned about the song in a recent post by fellow blogger Holley, who writes a terrific blog Chasing Destino. It was love at first listen, earning “Ceiling Tiles” a spot on my latest Weekly Top 30. Formed in 2021 and drawing influences from such acts as Leonard Cohen, The Cure, Moon Duo and Nick Cave, the band blends psychedelic, darkwave and post-modern pop to create their own fabulous and arresting music style. “Ceiling Tiles”, accompanied by a cover of Cohen’s “Tower of Song” as its flip-side, is the band’s first new release since their 2021 debut album Let There Be Light.
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (2)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (1)
DILEMMA – Green Day (4)
TIME – MISSIO (5)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (6)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (3)
LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (7)
BLUSH – Vazum (10)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (12)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (13)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (14)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (15)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (17)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (18)
WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (8)
THE TOWER – Future Islands (9)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (20)
WATER UNDERGROUND – Real Estate (21)
LANDMINES – Sum 41 (22)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (23)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (24)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (25)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (28)
MOTHER NATURE – MGMT (11)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (30)
NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (16)
BICYCLE AWAY – Sam Rappaport (19)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (N)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (N)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 