Tag: Still Traffico

Top 30 Songs for April 20-26, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments
Photo by Olivia Rodriguez

Brian Lambert is an affable, thoughtful and talented singer-songwriter from Denton, Texas who refers to himself as a “Friendly Neighborhood Rock and Roller”, and is also one of the most prolific musicians I know of. When Covid put a halt to playing live, he challenged himself to writing, recording and producing a new song every week for a year, an ambitious feat he went on to accomplish in 2021. Since then, he’s continued his prodigious output, writing and recording numerous songs both as a solo artist and in collaboration with a host of other musicians, including his frequent musical partner Marc Schuster (with whom he also has a side band called The Star Crumbles).

His lively, eclectic sound runs the gamut from rock’n’roll, indie folk and garage rock to grunge, punk and synthpop. In addition to a dizzying array of singles, he also released a terrific album Wild in September 2023 and EP Everything’s a Business in June 2024. I’ve featured him many times on this blog, most recently this past January when I reviewed his single “Take This Heart“. Inspired by the 90’s music of some of his favorite bands like Soul Asylum, the Goo Goo Dolls and Better Than Ezra, “Take This Heart” is a smoldering, foot-stomping garage rock banger of a love song. Brian wrote the music and lyrics, played all instruments and self-produced the track. I love it, and am pleased to finally place it at the top of my latest chart.

Entering the top 10 are “The Night Before” by The Black Keys, “Straight to the Ground” by Northern-Ireland rock act Unquiet Nights, and “Walls” by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua, at #s 8, 9 & 10, respectively.

There are two new additions this week, the first of which is “Basic Being Basic” by Djo, the music project of American actor Joseph David Keery, known for his roles as Steve Harrington in the Netflix series Stranger Things and Gator Tillman in the fifth season of the crime drama series Fargo. The song is from his third album The Crux, which was released April 4th. His sleeper hit song “End of Beginning”, which went viral on TikTok and has been streamed over 1.4 billion times on Spotify, spent 15 weeks in my Top 30 last year, and ranks #43 on my 100 Best Songs of 2024 list. Djo is about to embark on a 36-date tour of the U.S. and Europe that will start in Salt Lake City on April 21st.

The second new entry, debuting at #30, is “Porcelain (Losing All My Patience)” by Irish alternative indie rock band Somebody’s Child, fronted by the charismatic singer-songwriter Cian Godfrey. The beautiful song is from their wonderful second album When Youth Fades Away, released on March 28th, and accompanied by an endearing video showing Godfrey singing and dancing to the song in London’s Waterloo Station. I don’t normally include videos for other songs on my charts other than the one at #1, but this one’s so charming I want to share it.

  1. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (3)
  2. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (1)
  3. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (4)
  4. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (5)
  5. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (7)
  6. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (2)
  7. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (6)
  8. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (13)
  9. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (11)
  10. WALLS – Frank Joshua (12)
  11. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (10)
  12. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (9)
  13. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (14)
  14. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (16)
  15. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (17)
  16. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (18)
  17. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (19)
  18. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (8)
  19. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (22)
  20. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (23)
  21. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (24)
  22. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (27)
  23. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (15)
  24. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (26)
  25. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (28)
  26. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (20) 19th week on chart
  27. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (21)
  28. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely (25) 21st week on chart
  29. BASIC BEING BASIC – Djo (N)
  30. PORCELAIN (LOSING ALL MY PATIENCE) – Somebody’s Child (N)

Top 30 Songs for April 13-19, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

Not many changes to my latest Top 30, as Fake Empire‘s “Imposter Syndrome” holds onto the #1 spot for a second week, and there are no new debuts this week. Sam Fender moves into second place with hs touching “People Watching”, while Texas-based singer-songwriter Brian Lambert moves up two spots with his sultry rocker “Take This Heart”. “Without A Doubt” by Kentucky-based “No Wave Post Punk” rock band Charm School enters the top 10.

  1. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (1)
  2. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (3)
  3. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (5)
  4. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (6)
  5. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (7)
  6. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (8)
  7. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (9)
  8. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (2)
  9. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (4)
  10. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (11)
  11. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (13)
  12. WALLS – Frank Joshua (14)
  13. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (16)
  14. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (15)
  15. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (10)
  16. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (18)
  17. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (19)
  18. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (21)
  19. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (22)
  20. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (12)
  21. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (17)
  22. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (25)
  23. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (26)
  24. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (27)
  25. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely (23) 20th week on chart
  26. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (28)
  27. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (29)
  28. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (30)
  29. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (24)
  30. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (20)

Top 30 Songs for April 6-12, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's13 Comments

What a horrific week it’s been in America – and around the world, quite frankly – as our delusional, ignorant psychopath of a president precipitated a global financial meltdown with his pointless and insane tariffs, not to mention all his other illegal and incompetent actions. Be that as it may, at least we have lots of great music to drown our sorrows in, and my latest Top 30 is so good that every song belongs in the top five.

The darkly beautiful “Imposter Syndrome” by English alt-rock band Fake Empire dethrones Teddy Swims as it takes over the top spot this week. I loved it at first listen, and it continues to strongly resonate with me every time I hear it. I love the lush, haunting synths and The Cure-esque jangly guitars set to an enthralling beat and accompanied by arresting vocals. It’s the perfect song for sitting back with headphones and letting yourself be enveloped by its gorgeous soundscapes. To my mind, the lyrics seem to be about living lives that are inauthentic and controlled by other sociopolitical and cultural forces, leaving us acting like sheep, unable to be our true selves or even know who we really are: “Imposter syndrome. You’re sinking like a stone. How can you live when your life is not your own? Our lives are not our own.” Based in the south of England, Fake Empire consists of Simon Brookes, Les Black and Becky Bellinger, who together have been putting out music since 2017, all in the form of singles which now number 20 in total.

The beautiful anthem “People Watching” by English singer-songwriter Sam Fender moves up a notch to #3 this week. Included on his third studio album People Watching, which dropped February 21st, Fender wrote the song as a tribute to his friend and mentor Annie Orwin, who passed away last November. Describing her as being like a surrogate mother to him, he drew inspiration from his walks to and from the care home where she was a patient. He remained by her side at the end, sleeping on a chair next to her bed. He explained on his social media: “It’s kind of ironic because she was the one that gave me the confidence to go on stage, and always used to be like ‘why haven’t you mentioned my name in your acceptance speech’. But now an entire song (and album) connects to her. I hope that wherever she is now she’s looking down saying ‘about time kid’“. Fender co-produced the song and album in Los Angeles with Markus Dravs and Adam Granduciel of the American rock band the War on Drugs.

“Same Old Song” by Denver-based alterntive folk band The Lumineers finally enters the top 10 at #8, as well as “Time Waited” by American rock band My Morning Jacket at #9 and “Who’s a Fraud?” by English band Still Traffico, at #10. Debuting this week are songs by two long-time favorite acts of mine, the first of which is the beautiful “Laredo” by Texas-based singer-songwriter Leon Bridges. It’s the second single from his latest album Leon, which was released last October, and follows “Peaceful Place” which spent four weeks at #1 on my chart last fall. The second debut is “Barbarian” by L.A.-based alt-rock band AWOLNATION, from their sixth album The Phantom Five, which dropped last October. The song follows their previous single “Panoramic View” which spent 21 weeks on my chart last summer & fall, 12 of them in the top 10, and peaked at #3.

  1. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (3)
  2. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (1)
  3. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (4)
  4. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (2)
  5. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (5)
  6. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (6)
  7. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (8)
  8. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (11)
  9. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (14)
  10. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (12)
  11. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (13)
  12. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (7)
  13. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (15)
  14. WALLS – Frank Joshua (16)
  15. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (17)
  16. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (18)
  17. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (9)
  18. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (19)
  19. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (20)
  20. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (10)
  21. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (22)
  22. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (25)
  23. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (21)
  24. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (23)
  25. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (27)
  26. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (28)
  27. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (29)
  28. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (30)
  29. LAREDO – Leon Bridges (N)
  30. BARBARIAN – AWOLNATION (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 30-April 5, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

I think Georgia-based singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (born Jaten Collin Dimsdale) is one of the finest vocalists around today. Influenced by the soul music of artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Al Green his father had introduced him to as a child, he creates powerful, highly relatable songs blending a range of genres, including soul, country, pop and alternative rock. His beautiful song “Bad Dreams”, from his second album I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) released in January, takes over the top spot on my latest Top 30 chart.

He wrote the song after experiencing sleepless nights with recurring nightmares, but wanted it to be upbeat rather than maudlin. Inspired by his current wife, he wrote about how her love helps comfort and heal him: “Slippin into bad dreams, where there’s no you and I. No sound when I cry. I love you and I need you to set me free from all of these bad dreams.” In addition to Swims’ raw, soulful vocals, I love the sublime melody and charming ukelele played throughout. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, #7 on the Adult Top 40 chart, and #42 on the Hot 100. It’s Swims’ second song to reach #1 on my chart, after “Lose Control” in February of last year. His single “The Door” spent two weeks at #4 in November.

In other chart news of note, “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire advances two spots to #3. Even though the song runs 7:45 minutes in length, those The Cure and Depeche Mode-like musical elements sound so good I don’t want it to end. Also climbing three spots are “People Watching” by English singer-songwriter Sam Fender, “Take This Heart” by Texas singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, and “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, to #s 4, 5 & 6, respectively. The beautiful “Time Waited” by American indie rock band My Morning Jacket is the biggest upward mover this week, jumping 11 spots to #14.

And for the third week in a row there are two debut songs, the first of which is “Ankles” by Virginia-born and now L.A.-based singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus. The sweet, endearing song is from her wonderful fourth album Forever Is A Feeling, which dropped this past Friday, March 28th. Dacus is also a member of supergroup boygenius, which she formed in 2018 with Phoebe Bridgers and her current life partner Julien Baker.

The second debut, entering at #30, is the boisterous garage-blues rocker “Archbishop Harold Holmes” by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jack White. From his sixth studio album No Name, released last July (2024), the song is a critique of religious fundamentalism, particularly those who see themselves as vessels of God entrusted with saving people for their own selfish gain. According to the music website GENIUS, “The song is written in the form of a junk letter one might get in the mail from some religious organization (expressed by the opening lyrics “Dear friend. If you want to feel better, don’t let the devil make you toss this letter“). The lyrics invoke that of preaching, but are also in the style of as-seen-on-tv advertising as well as references to internet chain mail and pyramid schemes.”

  1. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (2)
  2. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
  3. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (5)
  4. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (7)
  5. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (8)
  6. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (9)
  7. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (3)
  8. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (10)
  9. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (4)
  10. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (6)
  11. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (13)
  12. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (12)
  13. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (14)
  14. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (25)
  15. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (17)
  16. WALLS – Frank Joshua (18)
  17. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (19)
  18. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (20)
  19. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (21)
  20. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (22)
  21. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (15)
  22. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (24)
  23. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (23)
  24. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (11)
  25. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (29)
  26. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (16) 19th week on chart
  27. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (28)
  28. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (30)
  29. ANKLES – Lucy Dacus (N)
  30. ARCHBISHOP HAROLD HOLMES – Jack White (N)

Top 30 for March 23-29, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

“So Cold” by Balu Brigada, the music project of multi-instrumentalist and writer/producer brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley, is still my favorite song and thus remains at #1 on my Top 30 chart for a third week. Moving into second place is the captivating “Bad Dreams” by Teddy Swims (aka American singer-songwriter Jaten Collin Dimsdale), while the darkly beautiful “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire moves up three spots to #5. Nashville band extraordinaire Cage the Elephant enter the top 10 with “Metaverse”, a great track from their latest album Neon Pill.

Two songs enter my chart this week, the first of which is the magical “It’s Amazing To Be Young” by Irish band Fontaines D.C., who’ve become one of my favorite acts. Their song “Starburster” was my #1 song of 2024, with “Favourite” ranking #8, both from their most recent album Romance, which was also my favorite album of 2024. As a now old man, I can attest to the fact that being young is most definitely amazing! The second debut is “Poor Sad Indie Everything” by Maryland-based shoegaze/indie rock band Icarus Phoenix. I featured the gorgeous song on a recent Fresh New Tracks post, and I absolutely love band frontman Drew Danburry’s enchanting vocals.

  1. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
  2. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (4)
  3. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (2)
  4. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (3)
  5. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (8)
  6. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (5)
  7. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (7)
  8. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (9)
  9. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (10)
  10. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (12)
  11. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (6)
  12. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (14)
  13. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (15)
  14. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (18)
  15. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (16)
  16. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (11)
  17. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (19)
  18. WALLS – Frank Joshua (20)
  19. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (21)
  20. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (22)
  21. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (24)
  22. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (25)
  23. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (26)
  24. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (27)
  25. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (29)
  26. DETROIT – Badflower (13)
  27. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (17)
  28. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (30)
  29. IT’S AMAZING TO BE YOUNG – Fontaines D.C. (N)
  30. POOR SAD INDIE EVERYTHING – Icarus Phoenix (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 16-22, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's13 Comments

Charismatic duo Balu Brigada‘s wonderful “So Cold” remains at #1 for a second week, while “You’re My Drug” by one of my favorite indie artists, Northern Virginia-based Talk in Waves, moves up a notch into second place. Two songs enter the top 10 this week – the sensuous, bluesy rocker “Take This Heart” by another favorite indie artist of mine, Texas-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Brian Lambert, at #9, and the exuberant foot-stomper “Rushmere” by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons, at #10.

Debuting this week are the introspective and lovely “Time Waited” by American indie rock band My Morning Jacket, at #29. Formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998, the band currently consists of founding members Jim James (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Tom Blankenship (bass), as well as Patrick Hallahan (drums & percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion & backing vocals), and Carl Broemel (lead guitar, pedal steel, saxophone & backing vocals). Their gorgeous single “Feel You” went to #1 on my Top 30 and ranks #6 on my list of 100 Best Songs of 2020. Entering at #30 is the hauntingly beautiful “Snakeskin” by English artist NAVE, the music project of the hyper-talented and thoughtful singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Nathan Evans, who I’ve featured several times on this blog, most recently last month when I reviewed his album X. “Snakeskin” is his second song to appear on my Top 30, the first being “Broken Record”, which went to #1 and ranks #14 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.

  1. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (1)
  2. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (3)
  3. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (2)
  4. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (5)
  5. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (4)
  6. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (8)
  7. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (9)
  8. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (10)
  9. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (13)
  10. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (14)
  11. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (6)
  12. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (16)
  13. DETROIT – Badflower (7)
  14. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (15)
  15. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (17)
  16. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (11)
  17. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (12)
  18. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (21)
  19. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (22)
  20. WALLS – Frank Joshua (23)
  21. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (24)
  22. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (25)
  23. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (18)
  24. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (27)
  25. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (28)
  26. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (29)
  27. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (30)
  28. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (19)
  29. TIME WAITED – My Morning Jacket (N)
  30. SNAKESKIN – NAVE (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 9-15, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments
Photo of Balu Brigada from their Facebook account

I have a great Top 30 chart to share this week, as in addition to a marvelous new #1 song and four new entries, several of my favorite indie artists are represented here, which always makes me happy.

Alternative pop-rock act Balu Brigada is the music project of multi-instrumentalist and writer/producer brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand but based in New York City since 2022, the band formed in 2016 as a four-piece but now consists of the charismatic Beasley brothers, along with Jackson Boswell on drums. Though they’ve been putting out music since 2016 – they released their first singles “Ricochet” and “Weekend” that year, followed by more singles and a 10-track EP Almost Feel Good Mixtape in 2019, a 7-track EP I Should Be Home in 2022, and a 6-track EP Find A Way in 2023 – it wasn’t until late 2024 that I learned about them when their song “So Cold” appeared on the Billboard Alternative charts. The song was released way back in June 2024, and later included on their compilation EP BALU, which came out two months later.

Balu Brigada had the good fortune to open for Twenty One Pilots on their Clancy World Tour, which exposed them to a much wider audience. The tour ran in North America from mid-August to mid-October 2024, Australia and New Zealand in November 2024 and Latin America in January and February of this year. They will also be joining Twenty One Pilots on their Europe & UK run of the tour from April-May 2025. On March 5th, the guys made their debut appearance on American television, giving an electrifying performance of “So Cold” on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. The exuberant earworm is my new current favorite song, dethroning Twenty One Pilots from the top spot!

Entering the top 10 are “People Watching” by English alternative pop-rock singer-songwriter Sam Fender and the captivating “Imposter Syndrome” by English alternative rock band Fake Empire, at #s 9 and 10, respectively.

Four newish songs make their debut on this week’s chart, beginning with the beautiful “Bad Larry” by northwest Indiana stoner emo band Cloakroom, which I learned about from fellow blogger Christian when he featured the act on his blog Christian’s Music Musings. I love those twangy guitars, and their sound reminds me a bit of Lord Huron. The song is from their latest album Last Leg of the Human Table. Next up is another song I learned about through Christian, the gorgeous “Mortal Wound” by British indie rock band The Veils, entering at #28. The song is from their seventh and latest album Asphodels, released on January 24th.

Coming in at #29 is the enchanting “After All” by Maine-based dream rock act Darksoft, which I featured last month in a Fresh New Tracks post. His music is always sumptuous and pleasing and his vocals ethereal and soothing, and I’ve loved every single one of his songs. His single “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do”, from his beautiful fourth album Beigeification, ranks #71 on my 100 Best Songs of 2023 list. “After All” is from his seventh album Rationalism, which dropped February 21st. Last, but certainly not least, is the uplifting and boisterous “The Turnaround” by Philadelphia power pop trio DelCobras, a new band comprised of Jim Lorino (lead vocals, guitar & synths), Marc Schuster (bass & vocals) and Nick Cervini (drums). I featured the rousing anthem of self redemption in another Fresh New Tracks post.

  1. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (2)
  2. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (1)
  3. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (4)
  4. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (6)
  5. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (7)
  6. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (3)
  7. DETROIT – Badflower (5)
  8. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (9)
  9. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (12)
  10. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (13)
  11. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (8)
  12. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (11)
  13. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (15)
  14. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (16)
  15. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (18)
  16. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (19)
  17. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (20)
  18. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (10)
  19. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (14)
  20. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (17)
  21. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (23)
  22. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (24)
  23. WALLS – Frank Joshua (25)
  24. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (29)
  25. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (30)
  26. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (21)
  27. BAD LARRY – Cloakroom (N)
  28. MORTAL WOUND – The Veils (N)
  29. AFTER ALL – Darksoft (N)
  30. THE TURNAROUND – DelCobras (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 2-8, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments

Not a lot of changes on this week’s Top 30, with Twenty One Pilots holding the top spot for a second week with their beautiful and cinematic “The Line”, while Balu Brigada remain at #2 with “So Cold”. Two songs by powerhouse acts make their debut this week, the first of which is “luther” by rapper Kendrick Lamar and alternative R&B/hip hop singer-songwriter SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe). The two previously collaborated on “All The Stars” in 2018, one of my favorite songs of the 2010s. “luther”, which is currently #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, features a sample of “If This World Were Mine”, a 1982 song by the late, great Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn, and I Iove the beautiful strings. The second debut is “The Night Before” by always wonderful blues rock band The Black Keys. The song is the lead single from their forthcoming 13th album No Rain, No Flowers, to be released later in the year.

  1. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (1)
  2. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (2)
  3. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (5)
  4. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (6)
  5. DETROIT – Badflower (7)
  6. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (8)
  7. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (10)
  8. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (4)
  9. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (9)
  10. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (3)
  11. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (11)
  12. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (13)
  13. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (15)
  14. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (12)
  15. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (18)
  16. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (19)
  17. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (17)
  18. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (23)
  19. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (24)
  20. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (25)
  21. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (14)
  22. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (16)
  23. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (27)
  24. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (29)
  25. WALLS – Frank Joshua (30)
  26. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (21)
  27. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (20)
  28. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (22) 20th week on chart
  29. LUTHER – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (N)
  30. THE NIGHT BEFORE – The Black Keys (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 23-March 1, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments

I’ve been a huge fan of American alternative rock/electropop/hip hop duo Twenty One Pilots since learning about them in early 2015, and they’ve remained my favorite musical act for the past 10 years. Still based in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, the band is comprised of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tyler Joseph and drummer/percussionist Josh Dun. I think they have one of the most unique sounds of any act in existence today, and with a few minor exceptions, virtually all of their musical output has been brilliant. Their 2015 masterpiece Blurryface is one of my all-time favorite albums, and spent 276 consecutive weeks – more than five years! – on the Billboard 200 Album chart. It ultimately racked up over 300 weeks on that chart.

Their beautiful and cinematic song “The Line”, from the Season 2 Soundtrack of the Netflix animated action-adventure series Arcane: League of Legends, ascends to the top of my chart this week. The song is about Viktor, one of the main protagonists of the Arcane series, and plays in the 8th episode of season 2. The song is thought to be about crossing “the line” by disappointing loved ones and turning them into enemies, represented by Viktor’s decision to give up his humanity to save humanity, while others think it’s essentially about crossing from life to death. Whatever it’s about, I love it, and it’s their 12th song to reach #1 on my chart, following “The Craving”, which spent three weeks on top this past August and September. “The Line” is also their second song from a film soundtrack, their previous being “Heathens”, which was included on the motion picture soundtrack to the DC Comics 2016 film Suicide Squad.

In other noteworthy chart news, the marvelous “So Cold” by Balu Brigada moves into second place, while “She Wants To Go Dancing” by Mt. Joy and “Bad Dreams” by Teddy Swims enter the top 10. There are two debuts again this week, the first of which is the powerful “Straight to the Ground” by Northern Ireland-based rock band Unquiet Nights (which I reviewed on January 31st), entering at #29, and “Walls”, a captivating track by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua (which I featured in a Fresh New Tracks post on February 1st), coming in at #30.

  1. THE LINE – Twenty One Pilots (4)
  2. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (3)
  3. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (1)
  4. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (2)
  5. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (5)
  6. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (6)
  7. DETROIT – Badflower (7)
  8. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (8)
  9. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (11)
  10. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (13)
  11. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (14)
  12. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (15)
  13. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (17)
  14. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (9)
  15. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (20)
  16. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (12)
  17. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (21)
  18. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (22)
  19. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (27)
  20. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (10)
  21. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (16)
  22. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (18)
  23. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (26)
  24. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (28)
  25. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (29)
  26. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (23)
  27. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (30)
  28. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (19)
  29. STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND – Unquiet Nights (N)
  30. WALLS – Frank Joshua (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 16-22, 2025

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments
Photo by Shervin Lainez

The beautiful, uplifting song “Arrow”, by Seattle folk rock band The Head and The Heart, takes over the top spot on my latest Top 30 chart after a five-week-long run by Wons Phreely + The Horses’ “The Faithful Heart”. Formed in 2009 by Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell, The Head and The Heart currently consists of Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion), Charity Rose Thielen (violin, guitar, vocals), Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (piano), Tyler Williams (drums), and Matt Gervais (guitar, vocals). Since 2011, they’ve released five albums and numerous singles, several of which have appeared on my chart. “Arrow” is their second song to reach #1 on my chart, their first being “All We Ever Knew” in 2016, and has spent the past nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard AAA (Adult Alternative Airplay) chart. The lyrics speak to feelings of restlessness, yet finding reassurance and peace of mind in oneself: “There’s times I need direction, there’s times I need to roam. I move station to station, I showed up here alone. I am my own arrow. I am my own home.”

In other notable chart developments, “So Cold” by Balu Brigada moves up two spots to #3, and “The Line” by twenty one pilots, from the Season 2 Soundtrack of the Netflix animated action-adventure series Arcane: League of Legends, jumps eight spots to #4, making it the biggest upward mover for a third week.

Two songs debut this week, the first of which is “Same Old Song” by Denver-based alternative folk band The Lumineers, which took a while to grow on me. The lead single from their fifth studio album Automatic, which dropped this past Friday, February 14th, “Same Old Song” is already in the top five on the various Alternative charts. The lyrics speak to the downsides of being a musician, struggling to pay rent, feeling insecure, getting your instruments stolen, and questioning the meaning of life while still holding onto dreams of making it big. The second debut, entering at #30, is “Without A Doubt” by Louisville, Kentucky-based post punk band Charm School, which I learned about from fellow blogger Christian in a recent post on his blog Christian’s Music Musings. The wonderful song is from their debut album Debt Forever, which dropped January 24th. I love those dramatic jangly guitars!

  1. ARROW – The Head and The Heart (2)
  2. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (1)
  3. SO COLD – Balu Brigada (5)
  4. THE LINE – twenty one pilots (12)
  5. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (7)
  6. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (8)
  7. DETROIT – Badflower (9)
  8. SAILOR SONG – Gigi Perez (10)
  9. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (4)
  10. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (3)
  11. SHE WANTS TO GO DANCING – Mt. Joy (14)
  12. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (6)
  13. BAD DREAMS – Teddy Swims (19)
  14. DAY & NIGHT – Oli Barton (17)
  15. AFTERLIFE – Sharon Van Etten (18)
  16. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (11)
  17. PEOPLE WATCHING – Sam Fender (20)
  18. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (16)
  19. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (13)
  20. IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Fake Empire (23)
  21. HERE WE GO AGAIN – Set the Tone (24)
  22. TAKE THIS HEART – Brian Lambert (26)
  23. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (22)
  24. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (15)
  25. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (21)
  26. WHO’S A FRAUD? – Still Traffico (28)
  27. RUSHMERE – Mumford & Sons (29)
  28. METAVERSE – Cage the Elephant (30)
  29. SAME OLD SONG – The Lumineers (N)
  30. WITHOUT A DOUBT – Charm School (N)