Tag: The 1975

Top 30 Songs for February 26-March 4, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's6 Comments

There’s so much incredible music out now, and this week’s Top 30 is one of the best in a while, chock-full of songs I can honestly say I love. Beach Weather remain on top for a second week with their beautiful “Trouble With This Bed”, one of the many stellar tracks from their debut full-length album Pineapple Sunrise, due out this coming Friday, March 3rd. “Sex, Drugs, Etc”, another track to be included on the album, spends its 24th week on my chart. “Night Bus”, the wonderful autobiographical song by Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Lavagna, slides into second place, followed at #3 by “The Loneliest” by Italian band Måneskin. “Pages” by American rock band White Reaper climbs four spots to #5.

Three songs move into the top 10: the stupendous “Love From the Other Side” by Fall Out Boy, leaping 13 spots to #8; the sultry “Wild as the Wind” by British singer-songwriter HULLAH, entering at #9, and the lovely “Mayfly” by another British singer-songwriter Callum Pitt, at #10. The sole debut this week is “New Gold”, a glorious collaboration between British act Gorillaz, Australian act Tame Impala, and American rapper Bootie Brown. The song is from Gorillaz’ latest album Cracker Island, which dropped this past Friday.

  1. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1)
  2. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (4)
  3. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (5)
  4. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (7)
  5. PAGES – White Reaper (9)
  6. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (2)
  7. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (3)
  8. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (21)
  9. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (11)
  10. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (12)
  11. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (13)
  12. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (14)
  13. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (6)
  14. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (10)
  15. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (17)
  16. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (18)
  17. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (19)
  18. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (8) 20th week on chart
  19. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (15)
  20. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (24)
  21. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (26)
  22. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (23)
  23. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (23) 24th week on chart
  24. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (20)
  25. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (28)
  26. KILL BILL – SZA (16)
  27. EYEZ – The Arcs (29)
  28. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (30)
  29. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (22)
  30. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 19-25, 2023

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In the space of only six months, alternative pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my favorite bands. Though they’d been around since late 2015, I first learned about them last summer when I heard their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which I loved at first listen. The song was originally recorded in 2016, and included on their debut EP Chit Chat, but wasn’t released as a single back then, and largely went unnoticed. After dropping a second EP What a Drag, the band went on hiatus as the three members, Nick Santino, Reeve Powers, and Sean Silverman, relocated to different cities and began working on their own solo projects. Fortunately for us, they reunited in late 2021, and began work on their forthcoming debut album Pineapple Sunrise, due for release on March 3rd. In the meantime, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” went viral on TikTok and became a huge hit on alternative radio, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. It’s also spent nearly six months on my Weekly Top 30, three of them at #1, and ended up at #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.

Last August, they started releasing a string of new singles from Pineapple Sunrise, beginning with “Unlovable”, their first new release in five years. They followed in November with the melancholy but beautiful “Trouble With This Bed”, which takes over the top spot of my Weekly Top 30. (They’ve since dropped two more singles, “Homebody” in January, which I reviewed, and “Hard Feelings” this past Friday the 17th.) “Trouble With This Bed” touches on a romantic relationship crippled by uncertainty and unfulfilled desires, acted out by a young couple in the accompanying video, interspersed with scenes of Beach Weather performing the song, all on the same bed. I particularly love the song’s beautiful languid groove, Nick’s dreamy layered vocals, and that dominant bassline. 

I’m excited to add four marvelous new songs to my list this week: “Love From the Other Side” by rock veterans Fall Out Boy, their first new music in four years, entering at #21; “Soften” by Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Southey, whose latest EP Common Fantasies I also reviewed last month, at #28; “Eyez” by Black Keys member Dan Auerbach’s side project The Arcs, at #29; and “Weightless” by hyper-talented British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, her first appearance on my chart, bringing up the rear at #30.

  1. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (3)
  2. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (1)
  3. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (2)
  4. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (5)
  5. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (7)
  6. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (4)
  7. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (9)
  8. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (6)
  9. PAGES – White Reaper (13)
  10. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (8)
  11. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (11)
  12. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (12)
  13. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (15)
  14. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (16)
  15. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (10)
  16. KILL BILL – SZA (14)
  17. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (20)
  18. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (22)
  19. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (24)
  20. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (18)
  21. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (N)
  22. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (17)
  23. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (27)
  24. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (28)
  25. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (29)
  26. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (30)
  27. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (19)
  28. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (N)
  29. EYEZ – The Arcs (N)
  30. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 12-18, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's3 Comments

The Star Crumbles remain on top for a second week with their aptly-titled gem “Shadows in the Dark”, while Paramore‘s “This Is Why” holds at #2 again after spending three weeks at #1. Sliding into third place is the beautiful and sultry “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather, who’ve become one of my favorite bands over the past year. Their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which spent three weeks at #1 on my chart last fall and ranks #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022, re-enters at #27, as I still can’t get enough of it. The biggest upward mover this week is the lovely “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do” by Darksoft, jumping seven spots to #20.

Three wonderful new songs make their debut this week at #s 28-30: “Surefire” by Oklahoma-based folk-rock band Wilderado, “Evergreen” by L.A.-based indie rock band Mt. Joy (whose previous single “Lemon Tree” peaked at #7 on my chart last September), and “Tropic Morning News” by legendary alt-rock band The National (their previous single “Weird Goodbyes”, with added vocals by Bon Iver, peaked at #6 on my chart in late December-early January). I absolutely love The National front man Matt Berninger’s distinctive soothing vocals.

  1. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (1)
  2. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (2)
  3. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (5)
  4. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (3)
  5. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (6)
  6. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (4)
  7. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (8)
  8. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (9)
  9. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (10)
  10. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
  11. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (13)
  12. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (14)
  13. PAGES – White Reaper (15)
  14. KILL BILL – SZA (16)
  15. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (19)
  16. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (21)
  17. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (11)
  18. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (18)
  19. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (22)
  20. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (27)
  21. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (23)
  22. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (24)
  23. DISORDER – Columbia (12)
  24. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (30)
  25. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (17)
  26. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (20)
  27. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (RE)
  28. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (N)
  29. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (N)
  30. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 5-11, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments

The Star Crumbles came to be rather serendipitously last year when singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, who’s based in Denton, Texas, reached out to singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marc Schuster, who lives in suburban Philadelphia, for some help with his song “Kids”. The two originally met on Twitter, but had never previously worked together on a music project. Well, they immediately hit it off, so much so that they decided to collaborate together on more music projects, eventually leading to their creation of a new music act they dubbed The Star Crumbles. Last fall, they released their marvelous debut album The Ghost of Dancing Slow (which I reviewed). One of my favorite tracks from that album, “Shadows in the Dark”, has spent 15 weeks and counting on my Top 30 chart, and at long last ascends to the top spot. The darkly beautiful song has a strong retro 80s vibe that borders on darkwave, with moody synths and brilliant guitar work, highlighted by a scorching little guitar solo and Brian’s fervent vocals, which have never sounded better. The cool video, created by Marc, features pixelated renditions of the band trapped in an eight-bit Atari nightmare.

In other chart highlights, the beautiful “Backpatters and Shooters” by astonishingly talented British four-piece The Zangwills enters the top 10. Two equally gorgeous songs make big upward moves: “Just Before the Morning” by L.A.-based indie alt-rock band Local Natives climbs six spots to #19, and “Transmitter” by British band Sea Power leaps eight spots to #21. The lone debut this week is “Pepper”, a great new single by veteran alternative pop-rock band Death Cab for Cutie, who never disappoint.

  1. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (2)
  2. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1)
  3. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (3)
  4. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (4)
  5. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (6)
  6. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (8)
  7. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
  8. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (9)
  9. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (10)
  10. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (12)
  11. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (5)
  12. DISORDER – Columbia (13)
  13. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (15)
  14. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (16)
  15. PAGES – White Reaper (17)
  16. KILL BILL – SZA (18)
  17. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (11)
  18. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (22)
  19. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (25)
  20. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (14)
  21. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (29)
  22. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (23)
  23. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (24)
  24. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (27)
  25. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (19)
  26. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (20)
  27. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (30)
  28. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (21) 19th week on chart
  29. SNAP – Rosa Linn (26)
  30. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 29-February 4, 2023

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Paramore maintain their firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week on my Top 30 with “This Is Why”, while The Star Crumbles‘ “Shadows in the Dark” holds at #2 for a second week. Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” (which recently spent eight non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100) moves up a notch to #3. Entering the top 10 are “The Loneliest” by Italian rock band Måneskin, at #9, and “Dance For Me” by talented Brooklyn singer-songwriter Sam Rappaport, at #10.

I’m thrilled to add two fantastic new songs I’ve fallen in love with this week: The first is “Transmitter” by British alt-rock band Sea Power. Though they formed in the mid-90s and have been putting out great music since 2001 (originally as British Sea Power, which they shortened to Sea Power in 2021 due to, in their words, “a rise in a certain kind of nationalism in this world – an isolationist, antagonistic nationalism we don’t want to run any risk of being confused with“, I only recently became aware of them when I heard their brilliant 10th studio album Everything is Forever, which was hailed by many critics as one of the best albums of 2022. It’s certainly one of mine!

The second debut this week is the dreamy “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do” by Portland, Maine-based artist Darksoft. The song is from his latest album Beigeification, a gorgeous work I recently reviewed. It’s his second song to appear on my Weekly Top 30, the previous being “Wannacry”, which spent three months on my chart, and ranked at #84 on my 100 Best Songs of 2019 list.

  1. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1) 3rd week at #1
  2. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (2)
  3. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (4)
  4. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (3)
  5. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (5)
  6. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (7)
  7. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (6)
  8. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (10)
  9. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (11)
  10. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (12)
  11. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (8)
  12. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (16)
  13. DISORDER – Columbia (15)
  14. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (9)
  15. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (18)
  16. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (19)
  17. PAGES – White Reaper (20)
  18. KILL BILL – SZA (21)
  19. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (14)
  20. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (17)
  21. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (13)
  22. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (25)
  23. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (27)
  24. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (28)
  25. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (29)
  26. SNAP – Rosa Linn (22)
  27. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (30)
  28. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (23)
  29. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (N)
  30. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 22-28, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's19 Comments

Paramore‘s defiant “This Is Why” remains at the top spot for a second week on my latest Top 30 chart, while The Star Crumbles‘ darkwave beauty “Shadows in the Dark” slides into second position. Entering the top 10 are “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather, jumping five spots to #7, and “Night Bus” by Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Lavagna, moving up one spot to #10. Two songs make their debut: the beautiful “Just Before the Morning” by L.A.- based indie alt-rock band Local Natives, entering at #29, and “Sleepwalking” by American pop/punk rock band All Time Low, at #30.

  1. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (1)
  2. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (3)
  3. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (2)
  4. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (5)
  5. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (4)
  6. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (7)
  7. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (12)
  8. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (9)
  9. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (6)
  10. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (11)
  11. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (15)
  12. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (13)
  13. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (8)
  14. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (10)
  15. DISORDER – Columbia (16)
  16. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (18)
  17. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (20)
  18. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (21)
  19. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (22)
  20. PAGES – White Reaper (23)
  21. KILL BILL – SZA (25)
  22. SNAP – Rosa Linn (14)
  23. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (17)
  24. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (19) 21st week on chart
  25. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (26)
  26. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (24)
  27. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (29)
  28. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (30)
  29. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (N)
  30. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 15-21, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments

Well, never would I have ever imagined that Paramore would have a #1 song on my weekly top 30 chart, but their single “This Is Why” has made its way to the top this week. Though the Nashville trio, consisting of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, have been around since 2004, I’ve never much cared for their music. But “This Is Why” really resonates with me, both musically and lyrically, and is now my current favorite song. Their first new single in four years, the defiantly honest song is the lead single from their forthcoming sixth album, also to be titled This Is Why.

About the single, Williams told NME “‘This Is Why” was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea. What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the roller-coaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years. You’d think after a global pandemic of fucking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”

Moving into the top 10 this week are “Out of My System” by British singer-songwriter and One Direction alumnus Louis Tomlinson and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” by Australian band Crystal Cities. There are no new debuts this week.

  1. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (3)
  2. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (1)
  3. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (4)
  4. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (2)
  5. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (7)
  6. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (6)
  7. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (8)
  8. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (5)
  9. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (11)
  10. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (12)
  11. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (13)
  12. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (14)
  13. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (15)
  14. SNAP – Rosa Linn (9)
  15. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (17)
  16. DISORDER – Columbia (16)
  17. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (10)
  18. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (21)
  19. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (20) 20th week on chart
  20. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (23)
  21. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (24)
  22. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (25)
  23. PAGES – White Reaper (26)
  24. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (22)
  25. KILL BILL – SZA (27)
  26. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (28)
  27. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (18)
  28. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (19)
  29. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (29)
  30. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (30)

Top 30 Songs for January 8-14, 2023

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The ebullient earworm “Tonight” by French pop-rock band Phoenix featuring Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, holds at #1 for a second week. Sliding into the #2 spot is “I’m In Love With You” by The 1975, becoming their highest-charting song ever on my Weekly Top 30. “This Is Why” by Paramore moves up to #3, also making it their best-performing song ever on my chart. The haunting new wave gem “Shadows in the Dark” by The Star Crumbles moves up three spots to #4. Three songs make their debut this week: “Stick Season” by Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, “Lux Æterna” by metal rock veterans Metallica, and “Everything I Own” by Welsh singer-songwriter Dom Thomas, which I reviewed this past November.

Fun fact: Once again this week, there are three songs on this list by guys named ‘Sam’.

  1. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (1)
  2. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (4)
  3. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (5)
  4. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (7)
  5. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (2)
  6. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (8)
  7. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (9)
  8. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (10)
  9. SNAP – Rosa Linn (3)
  10. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (6)
  11. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (14)
  12. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (16)
  13. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (17)
  14. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (18)
  15. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (19)
  16. DISORDER – Columbia (20)
  17. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (21)
  18. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (11)
  19. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (12)
  20. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (13)
  21. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (24)
  22. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (15)
  23. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (26)
  24. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (27)
  25. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (28)
  26. PAGES – White Reaper (29)
  27. KILL BILL – SZA (30)
  28. STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan (N)
  29. LUX ÆTERNA – Metallica (N)
  30. EVERYTHING I OWN – Dom Thomas (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 1-7, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's17 Comments

Happy New Year! A new #1 song to start off the new year, as “Tonight” by French pop-rock band Phoenix, featuring added vocals by Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig, takes over the top spot. For those unaware, Phoenix formed back in 1995 in Versailles, while its members were all in their teens, and still consists of the original lineup of Thomas Mars (lead vocals), Deck d’Arcy (bass/keyboards/backing vocals), Christian Mazzalai (guitar/backing vocals) and Laurent Brancowitz (guitar/keyboards/backing vocals), with Thomas Hedlund serving as their session and live drummer since 2005.

“Tonight” is from their seventh album Alpha Zulu, which was recorded at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a studio located within the Louvre Palace in Paris. About the collaboration with Koenig, band frontman Thomas Mars told NME “There’s always been a synchronicity with us and Vampire Weekend.” Guitarist Laurent Brancowitz added that he was initially hesitant of the format: “I was saying ‘show me one classic song that’s a duet’. I was resisting, and then Thomas came back with a list of duets that were classics and I had to admit I was wrong.” I think it’s a terrific duet, as Mars’ and Koenig’s voices harmonize together beautifully. I also love the bass and energetic drumming on the track.

Here’s a performance of the song by just Phoenix on the British TV show Later with Jools Holland, which nicely showcases Thomas Hedlund’s impressive drumming:

In other chart developments, three songs enter the top 10 this week: “Shadows in the Dark” by The Star Crumbles, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, and “Sail Away” by lovelytheband. Two songs make their debut: “Pages” by American rock band White Reaper, at #29, and “Kill Bill” by American R&B singer-songwriter SZA, at #30.

  1. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (3)
  2. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (1)
  3. SNAP – Rosa Linn (2)
  4. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (8)
  5. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (9)
  6. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (6)
  7. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11)
  8. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (10)
  9. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (12)
  10. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (13)
  11. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (4)
  12. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (5)
  13. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (7)
  14. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (16)
  15. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (15)
  16. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (18)
  17. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (19)
  18. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (21)
  19. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (22)
  20. DISORDER – Columbia (23)
  21. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (24)
  22. PARTY4ONE – dwi (14)
  23. EDGING – Blink-182 (20)
  24. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (27)
  25. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (17)
  26. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (25)
  27. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (29)
  28. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (30)
  29. PAGES – White Reaper (N)
  30. KILL BILL – SZA (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 25-31, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's12 Comments

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and/or Happy Holidays everyone! We’ve arrived at the final week of 2022, and I like that it’ll be a clean break, with the New Year starting on a Sunday. British artist Art Block remains at #1 for a second week with his hauntingly beautiful “White Horses”. Rosa Linn‘s “SNAP” holds at #2 for a second week after spending two weeks at #1, and the jaunty gem “Tonight” by French band Phoenix, featuring the dulcet tones of Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig, climbs two spots to #3.

Three songs enter my top 10 this week: “I’m in Love With You” by The 1975, “This is Why” by Paramore, and “Offcuts” by Mount Famine, at #8, 9 and 10 respectively. Two beautiful songs by British artists make their debut: “Wild as the Wind” by HULLAH (which I reviewed last month), and “Mayfly” by Callum Pitt (which I also reviewed in November). It’s the second appearance on my Weekly Top 30 for both artists.

  1. WHITE HORSES – Art Block (1)
  2. SNAP – Rosa Linn (2)
  3. TONIGHT – Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig (5)
  4. SPIT OF YOU – Sam Fender (3)
  5. CREST OF THE WAVE – Foals (4)
  6. WEIRD GOODBYES – The National featuring Bon Iver (8)
  7. SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (6)
  8. I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975 (11)
  9. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (12)
  10. OFFCUTS – Mount Famine (13)
  11. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (14)
  12. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (15)
  13. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (16)
  14. PARTY4ONE – dwi (7)
  15. UNHOLY – Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras (10)
  16. OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson (18)
  17. THESE ARE THE DAYS – Inhaler (9)
  18. LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – Crystal Cities (19)
  19. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (20)
  20. EDGING – Blink-182 (22)
  21. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (24)
  22. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (25)
  23. DISORDER – Columbia (26)
  24. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (27)
  25. THEN IT ALL GOES AWAY – Dayglow (23)
  26. BAD HABIT – Steve Lacy (21)
  27. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (30)
  28. I LIKE YOU (A HAPPIER SONG) – Post Malone & Doja Cat (17)
  29. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (N)
  30. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (N)