Tag: The Arcs

Top 30 Songs for April 16-22, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

The beautiful “Tropic Morning News” by The National holds at #1 for a second week, with Sea Power‘s majestic “Transmitter” also remaining at #2. “New Gold” by the dream collaboration of Gorillaz, Tame Impala and Bootie Brown slides into 3rd place (Gorillaz & Brown performed the song at the Coachella Music Festival this past Friday night), while Depeche Mode‘s “Ghosts Again” assumes the #4 spot. British singer-songwriter Frank Joshua enters the top 10 with his sublime love song “Bluebell Wood”.

Three songs make their debut this week: Entering at #23 is the amazing “Eat Your Young” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. He states the song was inspired by Gluttony, one the 9 Circles of Hell contained in the first part of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem Divine Comedy, and describes a feast being prepared and served together with the chaos that comes with it. “Rescue Me” by Southern California reggae-ska rock band Dirty Heads enters at #29, and “leaving” by Michigan singer-songwriter Au Gres enters at #30.

  1. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (1)
  2. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (2)
  3. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (6)
  4. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (7)
  5. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (4)
  6. FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (8)
  7. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (5)
  8. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (3)
  9. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (10)
  10. BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (12)
  11. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (9)
  12. THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (14)
  13. I WANT YOU DEAD – Two Feet & Allie Cabal (15)
  14. KID – The Revivalists (16)
  15. PAID OFF – Oli Barton & the Movement (17)
  16. WOLF – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (18)
  17. PAGES – White Reaper (11)
  18. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (13)
  19. THE PERFECT PAIR – beabadoobee (22)
  20. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (25)
  21. GO DOWN RIVER – The Heavy Heavy (26)
  22. DUMMY – Portugal. The Man (28)
  23. EAT YOUR YOUNG – Hozier (N)
  24. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (27)
  25. EYEZ – The Arcs (19)
  26. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (20)
  27. ANGELICA – Wet Leg (29)
  28. 1982 – Morgendust (30)
  29. RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (N)
  30. LEAVING – Au Gres (N)

Top 30 Songs for April 9-15, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments
Photo by Josh Goleman

My gosh, what a stellar week for music! Great songs by The National, Sea Power, The Zangwills, Death Cab for Cutie, Fall Out Boy, Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown, and Depeche Mode, and that’s just the top 7! The National’s captivating “Tropic Morning News” ascends to the top of my chart this week. The song is the lead single from their ninth studio album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, due for release on April 28. For those unaware, The National consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards) and Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards), and brothers Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). I love their sophisticated songwriting and rich, complex sound, especially Matt Berninger’s beautiful baritone vocals.

According to an article by Leah Degrazia for the website Genius, the album came together while Berninger was emerging from a period of crippling writer’s block (something I can strongly relate to). “Even though we’d always been anxious whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end,” Berninger said. The song’s lyrics, written by Berninger and his wife, Carin Besser, speak of how constantly inundating yourself with negative news can pull you into a dark hole of isolation and sadness, making it hard to reach out and form deep human connection.

In other chart developments, the gorgeous “Soften” by exceptionally-talented Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Southey enters the top 10. Entering this week’s chart are “Angelica” by the delightful English duo Wet Leg, at #29, and “1982” by Dutch alternative rock band Morgendust, whose wonderful self-titled album I recently reviewed, at #30.

  1. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (2)
  2. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (3)
  3. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (1)
  4. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (6)
  5. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (4)
  6. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown (7)
  7. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (8)
  8. FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (10)
  9. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (5)
  10. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (11)
  11. PAGES – White Reaper (9)
  12. BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (15)
  13. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (12)
  14. THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (16)
  15. I WANT YOU DEAD – Two Feet & Allie Cabal (17)
  16. KID – The Revivalists (21)
  17. PAID OFF – Oli Barton & the Movement (22)
  18. WOLF – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (23)
  19. EYEZ – The Arcs (18)
  20. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (19)
  21. MODERNISE – The Slow Readers Club (20)
  22. THE PERFECT PAIR – beabadoobee (26)
  23. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (13)
  24. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (14)
  25. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (27)
  26. GO DOWN RIVER – The Heavy Heavy (28)
  27. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (29)
  28. DUMMY – Portugal. The Man (30)
  29. ANGELICA – Wet Leg (N)
  30. 1982 – Morgendust (N)

Top 30 Songs for April 2-8, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

British indie pop-rock band The Zangwills remain at #1 for a second week with their achingly beautiful song “Backpatters and Shooters”. “Tropic Morning News” by American alternative art rock band The National slides into the #2 spot, and “Transmitter” by British alt-rock band Sea Power holds at #3. Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” enters the top 10.

Four songs make their debut this week: “Not Strong Enough”, from the new album the record by American indie rock supergroup boygenius, comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, entering at #27; “Go Down River” by Brighton, UK duo The Heavy Heavy, consisting of Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, at #28; “Essence” by Danish DJ and electronic house music producer Refeci and Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Shimmer Johnson, at #29, and “Dummy”, the latest single by Portland, Oregon-based alt-rock band Portugal. The Man, bringing up the rear at #30.

  1. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (1)
  2. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (4)
  3. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (3)
  4. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (2)
  5. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (5)
  6. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (8)
  7. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown (9)
  8. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (10)
  9. PAGES – White Reaper (6)
  10. FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (14)
  11. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (13)
  12. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (12)
  13. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (7)
  14. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (11)
  15. BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (19)
  16. THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (18)
  17. I WANT YOU DEAD – Two Feet & Allie Cabal (20)
  18. EYEZ – The Arcs (16)
  19. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (17)
  20. MODERNISE – Slow Readers Club (21)
  21. KID – The Revivalists (23)
  22. PAID OFF – Oli Barton & the Movement (27)
  23. WOLF – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (28)
  24. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (15) 20th week on chart
  25. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (22)
  26. THE PERFECT PAIR – beabadoobee (30)
  27. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (N)
  28. GO DOWN RIVER – The Heavy Heavy (N)
  29. ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (N)
  30. DUMMY – Portugal. The Man (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 26-April 1, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's9 Comments

British four-piece The Zangwills are an immensely-talented indie band who make exceptional melodic pop-rock with a maturity of songwriting and musicianship as fine as many top big-name bands around today. Based in Cheshire, they consist of Jake Vickers (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ed Dowling (bass), Sam Davies (lead guitar) and Adam Spence (drums). They’ve been actively making music since 2017, when they were all still in their teens, and have released a total of 13 singles and two EPs. Listening to their back catalog, I can emphatically state that every one of their songs is outstanding.

I didn’t learn about them until summer 2021, when I was blown away by their magnificent single “Never Looked Back”. I loved it so much that it went all the way to #1 on my Weekly Top 30, and ended up at #24 on my Top 100 Songs of 2021 list. Now, after a long 15-week climb, they once again reach the top of my chart with their latest single “Backpatters and Shooters”. It’s a gorgeous track, with a haunting piano-driven melody, cinematic orchestration and achingly beautiful guitar work that make it one of their most impactful songs yet. Then there are Jake’s powerfully emotive vocals, which convey an incredible vulnerability as he croons the lyrics addressing the pursuit of love and how it far outweighs the importance of anything else: “You know that I’d be the first to plant roses in your face, and frame beauty with beauty. And though I’m dying of thirst, I’m still running in your race with the men who pat my back, and the men who would shoot me. And when I look up, if I squint I see love. But it’s never that much, and no it’s never enough.” 

In other chart developments, “Transmitter” by Sea Power and “Tropic Morning News” by The National move up to #3 and #4, respectively. Entering the top 10 are “New Gold” by Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, at #9, and “Ghosts Again” by Depeche Mode, at #10. The biggest upward mover this week is “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, leaping eight spots to #14. The two debut songs this week are by artists making their first appearance on my chart: “Wolf” by New York indie/art rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, at #28, and “the perfect pair” by sweet-voiced Filipino-British singer-songwriter beabadoobee (born Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus), at #30. The song’s been out a while, and finally clicked with me.

  1. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (2)
  2. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (1)
  3. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (5)
  4. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (6)
  5. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (3)
  6. PAGES – White Reaper (4)
  7. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (7)
  8. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (10)
  9. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown (12)
  10. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (13)
  11. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (11)
  12. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (9)
  13. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (18)
  14. FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (22)
  15. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (8) 19th week on chart
  16. EYEZ – The Arcs (20)
  17. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (21)
  18. THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (24)
  19. BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (25)
  20. I WANT YOU DEAD – Two Feet & Allie Cabal (26)
  21. MODERNISE – Slow Readers Club (23)
  22. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (17)
  23. KID – The Revivalists (29)
  24. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (14)
  25. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (15)
  26. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (16)
  27. PAID OFF – Oli Barton & the Movement (30)
  28. WOLF – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (N)
  29. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (19)
  30. THE PERFECT PAIR – beabadoobee (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 19-25, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's3 Comments

Fall Out Boy remain at #1 for a second week with their monumental “Love From the Other Side”, while British band The Zangwills inch up to #2 with their cinematic “Backpatters and Shooters”. Entering the top 10 are “Tropic Morning News” by The National, jumping six spots to #6, “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do” by Darksoft, moving up two spots to #9, and “Pepper” by Death Cab for Cutie, which climbs three spots to #10.

Three great songs make their debut this week: “I Want You Dead”, a duet by blog and chart favorite Two Feet, along with his fiance Allie Cabal, entering at #26, “Kid” by New Orleans alternative/roots rock band The Revivalists, at #29, and “Paid Off” by another favorite of mine, London-based alternative pop-rock band Oli Barton & the Movement, at #30.

  1. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (1)
  2. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (3)
  3. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (2)
  4. PAGES – White Reaper (5)
  5. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (6)
  6. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (12)
  7. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (9)
  8. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (4)
  9. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (11)
  10. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (13)
  11. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (14)
  12. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (16)
  13. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (17)
  14. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (7)
  15. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (8)
  16. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (10)
  17. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (15)
  18. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (19)
  19. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (18)
  20. EYEZ – The Arcs (22)
  21. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (23)
  22. FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (27)
  23. MODERNISE – Slow Readers Club (28)
  24. THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (29)
  25. BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (30)
  26. I WANT YOU DEAD – Two Feet & Allie Cabal (N)
  27. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (20) 21st week on chart
  28. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (21) 19th week on chart
  29. KID – The Revivalists (N)
  30. PAID OFF – Oli Barton & the Movement (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 12-18, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments

The first time I heard “Love From the Other Side” by rock band Fall Out Boy, I knew it would be a number one hit. And sure enough, in just four weeks it’s reached the top of my weekly chart (it’s also currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart). I love hard-driving rock songs with symphonic elements, so “Love From the Other Side” is right up my alley. It’s their first song to ever top my chart (as well as any Billboard chart), and I can say with certainty that it’s already my all-time favorite song by them. Their first new music release in four years, the song is the lead single from their forthcoming eighth studio album So Much (for) Stardust, due for release on March 24th. The song marks a return to Fall Out Boy releasing music under the Fueled by Ramen label.

The lyrics are filled with meanings open to interpretation, but overall, they seem to address the band’s internal struggles with their own stardom and success. According to a comment on Genius Lyrics, “The song [and] music video have a general theme of a new beginning. The last release from the band was ‘Mania’ from 2018. ‘Mania’ didn’t resonate very well with the audience, and the band didn’t release anything after 2019 outside of some collaborations. The ‘apocalypse’ is the failure of Mania and the following silence, with the new album being ‘the other side’ and a new beginning for their career, popularity, and music style.” ‘The apocalypse” can also likely be construed as a reference to the Covid pandemic. The imaginative video features band member Pete Wentz as an old man, reading a fantasy story to his granddaughter.

In addition to “Love From the Other Side”, there are so many fantastic songs out now, many by veteran artists and bands. The gorgeous “Transmitter” by Sea Power climbs four spots to #6, “Tropic Morning News” by The National rises five spots to #12, “New Gold” by Gorillaz, Tame Impala (who’s now recovering from recent surgery to repair a broken hip), and Bootie Brown jumps seven spots to #16, and “Ghosts Again” by Depeche Mode leaps 13 spots to #17.

Four songs make their debut this week: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus finally enters my chart at #27 after having just spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though I think she has a pretty good singing voice, I’ve never been much of a fan, as some of her slutty antics really turned me off. But after giving the song a careful listen the other day, it finally clicked with me and I have to concede that it’s a good song. With “Flowers”, Cyrus makes her very first appearance ever on my chart. The other three debuts include the boisterous “Modernise” by English rock band Slow Readers Club, at #28, the beautiful “The Walk Home” by one of my favorite American pop-rock bands Young the Giant, at #29, and the enchanting “Bluebell Wood” by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua, at #30.

  1. LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (3)
  2. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1)
  3. BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (4)
  4. NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (2)
  5. PAGES – White Reaper (5)
  6. TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (10)
  7. WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (7)
  8. MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (8)
  9. JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (9)
  10. THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (6)
  11. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (13)
  12. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (17)
  13. PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (15)
  14. SUREFIRE – Wilderado (16)
  15. SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (14)
  16. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (23)
  17. GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (30)
  18. EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (20)
  19. SOFTEN – Alex Southey (22)
  20. SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11) 20th week on chart
  21. THIS IS WHY – Paramore (12)
  22. EYEZ – The Arcs (24)
  23. WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (25)
  24. ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (18)
  25. DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (19)
  26. SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (21)
  27. FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus (N)
  28. MODERNISE – Slow Readers Club (N)
  29. THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant (N)
  30. BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua (N)

Top 30 Songs for March 5-11, 2023

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

Beach Weather maintain a firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week with their languid and sultry “Trouble With This Bed”, while their monster hit “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” also spends its 25th week on my chart. Both songs are featured on their wonderful new debut album Pineapple Sunrise. Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Lavagna‘s “Night Bus” holds at #2 for a second week, and Fall Out Boy‘s hard-driving cinematic gem “Love From the Other Side” continues its rapid climb, moving up five spots to #3. Entering the top 10 are the beautiful “Just Before the Morning” by Local Natives, at #9, and “Transmitter” by Sea Power, at #10.

The lone debut this week is “Ghosts Again” by legendary electronic band Depeche Mode, which now essentially consists of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. The song is their first new release since the death of co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher last May. About the song, Gahan said it “captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy“, while Gore noted it has “such an upbeat feel to it“. The duo has intimated in interviews that the song is a sort of tribute to Fletcher, touching on the fragility of life and the possibility of an afterlife, namely, that everyone will eventually turn into “ghosts again”. (Wikipedia) With “Ghosts Again”, the duo leave no doubt they can still deliver a stellar song after more than 40 years.

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

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

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's14 Comments

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)

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 20 – “Outta My Mind” by The Arcs

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews10 Comments
Photo by Chris Sikich

The subject for Day 20 of my 30-day Song Challenge is “A song from an artist’s side project“, and my pick is “Outta My Mind” by The Arcs. The Arcs was a side project of Dan Auerbach, guitarist and vocalist of the Black Keys. He formed the band in 2015 when The Black Keys were on a brief hiatus while drummer Patrick Carney recovered from a shoulder injury. In an interview with Pitchfork, Auerbach explained his impetus for creating the band: “I just wanted to do my thing and get extra weird. I wanted everything to flow [and] be cohesive. It’s basically everything I love about music all wrapped up into one record.”

The record he referred to was their debut – and thus far only – album Yours, Dreamily, released in September 2015. Besides Auerbach on lead vocals and guitar, The Arcs consists of Leon Michels on farfisa organ, synthesizer, guitar and drum pads, Nick Movshon on bass guitar, Homer Steinweiss on drums and percussion, and Richard Swift, who sadly passed away in 2018, on drums, percussion, keyboards and backing vocals.

“Outta My Mind” was the second single released from Yours, Dreamily, and their only single to chart, peaking at #17 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. The song’s terrific, a delicious blend of garage rock, R&B and rock’n’roll, highlighted by marvelous psychedelia-tinged surf and blues guitars. The entire album is great, and along with “Outta My Mind”, my other favorite tracks are “Put a Flower in Your Pocket”, “The Arc” and “Pistol Made of Bones”.