Tag: The War on Drugs

My Top 30 Songs for November 8-14, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

What a great week this has been, with a sizable majority of American voters finally waking from their stupor to give a massive repudiation to our vile President Trump and his sycophantic Republican party. I’m feeling even more hopeful now than I did when Joe Biden was elected in late 2020.

OK, back to the music. My love for Fontaines D.C. continues to grow, and their song “Marianne” remains at #1 for a fourth week. Many others appear to share my love and admiration for the Irish band too, as evidenced by reactions to my response to a recent Instagram post about Liam Gallagher of Oasis stating that Fontaines D.C. aren’t good enough to be an opening act for their upcoming 2027 tour. An opinion writer for The Irish Times posted that Gallagher – who’s arguably one of the biggest assholes in the music industry – was wrong about Fontaines D.C. My comment on the Times‘ Instagram post that Oasis should be the ones opening for Fontaines D.C. has gotten over 2,000 likes, along with a few snarky replies of course. One prick commented that the worst Oasis song is better than any that Fontaines D.C. have put out, which is both idiotic and wrong. Oh well, can’t please them all, and even esteemed acts like The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and Adele have their haters.

The next four songs in the top five – “Stone Over Water” by Death Cab for Cutie, “I Feel Hope Coming” by Alabama Shakes, “Loser” by Tame Impala, and “We Might as Well Be Strangers” by Weezer feat. Wednesday, remain in place. The biggest upward mover this week is “Metastasized” by Canadian band Bealby Point, climbing four spots to #6. And two songs enter the top 10, “Behind The Lines Of Reason” by English indie rock band Hardwicke Circus and “Love To Go” by Nashville-based alt rock band Edgehill.

The lone new addition to this week’s chart is “Stay With Me”, the latest single by northern Virginia artist Talk in Waves. The music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mimikos, Talk in Waves has been a favorite of mine since at least 2019, and I’m thrilled to have another song of his appear on my chart. I’ve loved most of this songs, with six of them reaching #1 on my charts, one of which – “Like You Do” – also topping my 100 Best Indie Songs of 2024 list. Mimikos has been mainly DIY on most of his recordings, but more recently has teamed up with Jarrett Nicolay of Mixtape Studios for recording, mixing and mastering, and his friend Shawn Battle for singing backing harmonies.

  1. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (1) 4th week at #1
  2. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (2)
  3. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (3)
  4. LOSER – Tame Impala (4)
  5. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (5)
  6. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point (10)
  7. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (9)
  8. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (6) 20th week on chart
  9. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (12)
  10. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (13)
  11. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (8)
  12. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (7)
  13. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (14)
  14. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian (15)
  15. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (16)
  16. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (17)
  17. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (18)
  18. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (19)
  19. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (11)
  20. EXIT SIGNS – LEAP (22)
  21. BOTTLE – Remi Wolf (23)
  22. BEDHEAD – Balu Brigada (24)
  23. NEW AESTHETIC – Beach Weather (25)
  24. WHO’S THAT – The War on Drugs (26)
  25. FIVE – Secret Postal Society (27)
  26. MY WHOLE WORLD – Kings of Leon (29)
  27. BEYOND THE RAIN – Johnny Marr (30)
  28. I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (20)
  29. HIGH HOPES 3000 – ROLE MODEL (21)
  30. STAY WITH ME – Talk in Waves (N)

My Top 30 Songs for November 1-7, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments

It’s hard to believe we’re now in November, and only days away from a consequential midterm election in which I hope a majority of American voters will finally put a check on the Trump administration’s obscene mendacity and corruption.

There’s not a lot of movement at the top of my chart, as “Marianne” by Fontaines D.C. remains at #1 for a third week, while “Stone Over Water” by Death Cab for Cutie amd “I Feel Hope Coming” by Alabama Shakes maintain the #2 and #3 spots for a second week. “Loser” by Tame Impala moves up two spots to #4, and British Columbia, Canada indie rock band Bealby Point enter the top 10 with their terrific “Metastasized”. The song is featured on their debut album Happiness Frontier, which dropped October 23rd.

Two new songs enter my chart again this week, starting with “My Whole World” by Nashville-based rock band Kings of Leon. Comprised of brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill, they named the band after their grandfather Leon. Since 2002, Kings of Leon have released nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, two video albums, five EPs and 26 singles. “My Whole World” was the lead single from their forthcoming 10th album O My Beloved, scheduled for release next Friday, November 6th.

The second debut is “Beyond the Rain” by legendary guitarist and singer-songwriter Jobnny Marr, one of the former members of English band The Smiths. I learned about the song in a recent post by fellow blogger Christian’s Music Musings, and loved it at first listen. “Beyond the Rain” is from his excellent fifth album The Age Of Everything, released on October 2nd.

  1. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (2)
  3. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (3)
  4. LOSER – Tame Impala (6)
  5. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (8)
  6. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (4)
  7. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (5)
  8. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (9)
  9. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (10)
  10. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point (11)
  11. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (7)
  12. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Hardwicke Circus (13)
  13. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (14)
  14. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (15)
  15. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian (17)
  16. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (18)
  17. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (19)
  18. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (20)
  19. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (21)
  20. I COULD TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (12)
  21. HIGH HOPES 3000 – ROLE MODEL (16)
  22. EXIT SIGNS – LEAP (24)
  23. BOTTLE – Remi Wolf (25)
  24. BEDHEAD – Balu Brigada (26)
  25. NEW AESTHETIC – Beach Weather (27)
  26. WHO’S THAT – The War on Drugs (29)
  27. FIVE – Secret Postal Society (30)
  28. EVERGREEN – Young the Giant (22)
  29. MY WHOLE WORLD – Kings of Leon (N)
  30. BEYOND THE RAIN – Johnny Marr (N)

My Top 30 Songs for October 25-31, 2026

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

Fontaines D.C. hold onto the top spot for a second week with “Marianne”, while Death Cab for Cutie slides into second place with “Stone Over Water” and Alabama Shakes‘ “I Feel Hope Coming” moves up to #3. The Foo Fighters enter the top 10 with “Window”.

Once again there are two new entries to my chart, the first being “Who’s That” by American rock band The War on Drugs. Formed in 2005 by Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, the band has undergone numerous changes in lineup and presently consists of Granduciel (vocals, guitar), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keyboards), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchez (saxophone, keyboards), Anthony LaMarca (guitar), and Eliza Hardy Jones (percussion, keyboards). Since 2008 they’ve released five albums, the last being I Don’t Live Here Anymore which dropped almost exactly five years ago today. Three of their songs have reached #1 on my chart – “Holding On” (2017), “Pain” (2018) and “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” (2021-22). Released on September 9th, “Who’s That” is their first new music in four years and the lead single from their forthcoming sixth album, the name of which hasn’t yet been revealed.

The second new entry is “Five” by Secret Postal Society, the music project of Welsh singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Craig Mapstone. He’s a thoughtful, generous and kind soul, and though we’ve never met in person, I’m quite fond of him on both a personal and professional level. We’ve been following each other on social media since early 2021, and I’ve written about him and his music several times over the past five years. Unable to play gigs or socialize during the Covid pandemic, he decided to challenge himself to write and record a new original song every week for an entire year of 2021, which he accomplished! Four of his songs – “Something From Nothing/Points of Light” (2021), “Autumn Leaves” (2024), “Scars” (2025) and “Heather” (earlier this year) – have appeared on my chart.

His latest single “Five” is a heartfelt plea for us to be more kind and understanding to ourselves and each other during these troubled and highly divisive times. Mapstone elaborates: “Written during a time of overwhelming negativity, fear and aggression in Western politics, society, economics and international relations, ‘Five’ began life as a protest song, and ended up as a reminder to each of us to look after ourselves and each other. When the world gets too much the chorus reminds us to “take a breath, count to five” and to never give up hope that things will change for the better.” He no longer has his music on Spotify, so I’m featuring his YouTube video for the track, in which he appears both honest and vulnerable:

  1. MARIANNE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. STONE OVER WATER – Death Cab for Cutie (4)
  3. I FEEL HOPE COMING – Alabama Shakes (5)
  4. PRIVATE – The Neighbourhood (2)
  5. LOST BOYS – Phoebe Bridgers (3)
  6. LOSER – Tame Impala (6)
  7. BEACHES IN TENNESSEE – Cage the Elephant (7)
  8. WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS – Weezer feat. Wednesday (8)
  9. EDGE OF THE EARTH – The Beaches (10)
  10. WINDOW – Foo Fighters (11)
  11. METASTASIZED – Bealby Point (13)
  12. I CAN TAKE THE SUN OUT OF THE SKY – Brigitte Calls Me Baby (9)
  13. BEHIND THE LINES OF REASON – Harwicke Circus (14)
  14. LOVE TO GO – Edgehill (16)
  15. YOUNG AGAIN – Shinedown (17)
  16. HIGH HOPES 3000 – ROLE MODEL (18)
  17. BLACK DOG RABBIT HOLE – Devon Gilfillian (19)
  18. GOOD TIMES // END TIMES – Goose (20)
  19. ALREADY GONE – Orville Peck (21)
  20. I KINDA LIKE THAT – The Paradox (22)
  21. OH YEAH? – Steve Lacy (23)
  22. EVERGREEN – Young the Giant (12)
  23. REIN ME IN – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean (15)
  24. EXIT SIGNS – LEAP (26)
  25. BOTTLE – Remi Wolf (27)
  26. BEDHEAD – Balu Brigada (29)
  27. NEW AESTHETIC – Beach Weather (30)
  28. NO MORE REGRETS – almost monday (25)
  29. WHO’S THAT – The War on Drugs (N)
  30. FIVE – Secret Postal Society (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 27-March 5, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

Though they’ve been around since the mid 1990s, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I didn’t come to fully appreciate the music of Spoon until 2017, with the release of their fantastic album Hot Thoughts. I love their distinctive sound that incorporates elements of rock’n’roll, art rock, post-punk revival and experimental rock, not to mention the raspy vocals of frontman Britt Daniel, who at 50 is still going strong. The Austin-based rock band’s gnarly stomper “The Hardest Cut” has been around awhile, and finally reaches the top of my Weekly Top 30. The song is from their 10th and latest album Lucifer on the Sofa, which was written by Daniel during lockdown.

Adele’s “Oh My God” enters the top 10, and both “B-Side” by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges and “Caviar” by Two Feet leap eight spots to #19 and #20, respectively. Three new songs debut this week: “Black Summer” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Love Brand New” by Bob Moses, and “Won’t Stand Down” by Muse. Though I really like Muse, most of their songs take a while to grow on me. I often dislike them upon the first few listens, but almost always end up liking or even loving them, and “Won’t Stand Down” is no exception.

  1. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (2)
  2. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (1)
  3. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (4)
  4. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (6)
  5. WAKE ME UP – Foals (7)
  6. CHAPSTICK – COIN (8)
  7. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (9)
  8. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (10)
  9. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (3)
  10. OH MY GOD – Adele (14)
  11. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (13)
  12. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (5)
  13. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (15)
  14. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (16)
  15. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (17)
  16. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (22)
  17. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (20)
  18. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (21)
  19. B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (27)
  20. CAVIAR – Two Feet (28)
  21. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (24)
  22. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (26)
  23. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (11)
  24. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (12)
  25. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War On Drugs feat. Lucius (18)
  26. IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (29)
  27. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (30)
  28. BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (N)
  29. LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (N)
  30. WON’T STAND DOWN – Muse (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 20-26, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments

British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes retain a firm grip on the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30 for a second week with their beautiful track “I See the Sun“, and Spoon’s “The Hardest Cut” slides up to #2. Entering the top 10 are twenty øne piløts’ “The Outside” and Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker”. Sometimes it takes a while for a song to really grow on me, and after a slow start, Adele’s “Oh My God” leaps 10 spots to #14. Four great songs by artists I love make their debut this week: “B-Side” by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges, “Caviar” by Two Feet, “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You” by The Wombats, and “What, Me Worry?” by Portugal. The Man.

  1. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (1)
  2. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (3)
  3. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (2)
  4. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (5)
  5. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (4)
  6. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (8)
  7. WAKE ME UP – Foals (9)
  8. CHAPSTICK – COIN (10)
  9. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (11)
  10. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (12)
  11. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (6)
  12. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (7)
  13. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (15)
  14. OH MY GOD – Adele (24)
  15. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (18)
  16. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (19)
  17. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (20)
  18. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (13)
  19. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (14)
  20. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (26)
  21. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (27)
  22. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (29)
  23. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (16)
  24. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (28)
  25. U&ME – alt-J (22)
  26. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (30)
  27. B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (N)
  28. CAVIAR – Two Feet (N)
  29. IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (N)
  30. WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 13-19, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

There’s lots of movement on this week’s Top 30. One of the downsides of curating a weekly list is that all songs must eventually move down, then off. I hate dropping songs I still like, but it must be done in order to make way for new ones on their way up. I’ve loved the music of British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes since first learning about them last summer, and have written about two of their singles, “Naked Monkey on a Spaceship” and “I See the Sun”. Inspired by the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, “I See the Sun” is a glorious cinematic gem, highlighted by gorgeous spaghetti western-style guitars that would make Ennio Morricone proud. The stunning song takes over the #1 spot on my Weekly Top 30.

Spoon’s “The Hardest Cut” climbs three spots to #3, British band Apollo Junction’s “Two Car Family” moves up two spots to #5, and three songs enter the top 10: “One and the Same” by British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory, “Wake Me Up” by British alt-rock band Foals, and “Chapstick” by Nashville pop-rock band COIN. After a sluggish few weeks, twenty øne piløts’ “The Outside” and Mitski’s “The Only Heartbreaker” leap eight spots to #11 and #12, respectively. Debuting this week are “I’ll Call You Mine” by girl in red and “Give a Little Lovin’” by Jamie Alimorad, which enter at #29 and #30.

  1. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (2)
  2. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (1)
  3. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (6)
  4. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (3)
  5. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (7)
  6. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (4)
  7. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (5)
  8. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (13)
  9. WAKE ME UP – Foals (14)
  10. CHAPSTICK – COIN (17)
  11. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (19)
  12. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (20)
  13. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (8)
  14. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (16)
  15. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (18)
  16. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (9)
  17. SMILE – Wolf Alice (10)
  18. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (22)
  19. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (23)
  20. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (24)
  21. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (11)
  22. U&ME – alt-J (12)
  23. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (15)
  24. OH MY GOD – Adele (26)
  25. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (21)
  26. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (28)
  27. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (29)
  28. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (30)
  29. I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (N)
  30. GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (N)

Top 30 Songs for February 6-12, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's19 Comments

I’m a long-time fan of disco and dance music of all kinds, so it’s a given I’d love the sleek earworm “Starts With You” by Canadian born, and now L.A.-based, singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson. The song is actually a departure from her more typical adult contemporary style and repertoire of heartfelt ballads, and I love the sultry dance groove and funky Nile Rodgers-style guitar. After a long, steady climb, the song has finally landed atop my Weekly Top 30.

Sliding into second place is the spaghetti western-esque stunner “I See the Sun” by British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes. Entering the top 10 is Spoon’s rousing and gnarly “The Hardest Cut”, which jumps five spots to #6. And like last week, I wanted to add at least five new songs to this week’s list, but that would require eliminating five songs, which I could not do. Thus, the lone debut this week is Foo Fighters’ “Love Dies Young”, which I probably should have added to my list weeks ago.

  1. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (4)
  2. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (5)
  3. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (1)
  4. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (2)
  5. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (3)
  6. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (11)
  7. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (8)
  8. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (6)
  9. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (9)
  10. SMILE – Wolf Alice (10)
  11. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (7)
  12. U&ME – alt-J (13)
  13. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (14)
  14. WAKE ME UP – Foals (16)
  15. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (12)
  16. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (18)
  17. CHAPSTICK – COIN (19)
  18. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (20)
  19. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (21)
  20. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (22)
  21. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (23)
  22. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (24)
  23. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (25)
  24. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (26)
  25. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (15)
  26. OH MY GOD – Adele (27)
  27. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (17)
  28. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (29)
  29. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (30)
  30. LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 30-February 5, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's16 Comments

There’s not a lot of movement on my latest Weekly Top 30, as the top seven songs from last week remain in the top seven this week, albeit with a bit of shuffling of the ones at #s 2-7. Band of Horses’ beautiful song of unrequited love “Crutch” remains at #1 for a second week, and dwi’s “Good Friend” switches places with Kings of Leon’s “Time in Disguise” for the #2 and #3 spots. Canadian-American singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson’s wonderful dance-pop song “Starts With You” moves up a notch to #4, followed close behind at #5 by the marvelous spaghetti western-esque “I See the Sun” by British psychedelic pop/rock band Solar Eyes.

There are at least six new songs I wanted to add to this list, but only had room for two: L.A. pop-rock duo Ships Have Sailed’s breathtaking “Broken Hearts” enters at #29, replacing their song “Love in October” after its 14-week run, which itself replaced their previous single “Take My Money”, meaning they’ve continuously had a song on my Weekly Top 30 since mid-August of last year. Welsh artist Secret Postal Society’s uplifting couplet “Something From Nothing/Points of Light” enters at #30.

  1. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (1)
  2. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (3)
  3. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (2)
  4. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (5)
  5. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (7)
  6. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (4)
  7. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (6)
  8. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (9)
  9. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (10)
  10. SMILE – Wolf Alice (12)
  11. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (16)
  12. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (13)
  13. U&ME – alt-J (14)
  14. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (15)
  15. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (8)
  16. WAKE ME UP – Foals (17)
  17. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (11)
  18. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (19)
  19. CHAPSTICK – COIN (20)
  20. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (21)
  21. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (22)
  22. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (24)
  23. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (25)
  24. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (26)
  25. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (27)
  26. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (28)
  27. OH MY GOD – Adele (30)
  28. BEGGIN’ – Måneskin (18)
  29. BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (N)
  30. SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 23-29, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Song Lists7 Comments

The poignant and beautiful “Crutch” by Band of Horses takes over the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30. It’s their first song to ever top a Billboard chart, recently spending two weeks at #1 on the Adult Alternative Chart. It was a tough decision knocking dwi’s wonderful song “Good Friend” down to #2, as I still love it so much. Finally entering the top 10 are three great songs – Solar Eyes’ “I See the Sun”, Apollo Junction’s “Two Car Family”, and a million rich daughters’ “Left Behind”. Debuting this week are Elvis Costello & the Imposters’ “Magnificent Hurt” and Adele’s “Oh My God”. It took a while for “Magnificent Hurt” to grow on me, because I can sometimes be a real idiot when it comes to music (as well as many other things, unfortunately). But after reading two recent posts about the song and Costello’s new album by fellow blogger Christian’s Music Musings, I finally realized what a terrific song it is. 

The video for “Crutch” is odd but sweet, and features lots of cute cats, so please watch.

  1. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (2)
  2. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (1)
  3. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (4)
  4. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs feat. Lucius (3)
  5. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (6)
  6. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (7)
  7. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (11)
  8. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (5)
  9. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (12)
  10. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (13)
  11. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (9)
  12. SMILE – Wolf Alice (14)
  13. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (15)
  14. U&ME – alt-J (16)
  15. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (17)
  16. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (19)
  17. WAKE ME UP – Foals (18)
  18. BEGGIN’ – Måneskin (8)
  19. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (20)
  20. CHAPSTICK – COIN (21)
  21. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (22)
  22. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (23)
  23. LOVE IN OCTOBER – Ships Have Sailed (10)
  24. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (25)
  25. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (28)
  26. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (29)
  27. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (30)
  28. MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & The Imposters (N)
  29. DON’T BRING ME DOWN – Two Feet (24)
  30. OH MY GOD – Adele (N)

Top 30 Songs for January 16-22, 2022

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's5 Comments

I just can’t get enough of those exuberant jangly guitars, driving beats and soaring vocals on the marvelous “Good Friend” by Canadian artist dwi, and it remains my favorite song for a second week. Closing in at #2 is “Crutch” by Band of Horses, and climbing four spots to #4 is the beautiful “Time in Disguise” by Kings of Leon. It’s not doing particularly well on the Alternative charts, which is perplexing to me, especially given that “Bandit” was the top song of 2021 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. The ebullient dance-pop tune “Starts With You” by L.A.-based singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson climbs three spots to #6, and Tears for Fears’ “The Tipping Point” also climbs three spots to #7.

Three songs debut on this week’s chart: Though it’s been out for over three months, “INDUSTRY BABY” by Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow finally enters my chart at #28. Bringing up the rear are new songs by two of my favorite acts from London, England – “Just Like Always” by Oli Barton & the Movement and Maella, and “Redchurch Street Blues” by Philip Morgan Lewis, which enter at #29 & #30, respectively.

  1. GOOD FRIEND – dwi (1)
  2. CRUTCH – Band of Horses (3)
  3. I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE – The War on Drugs featuring Lucius (2)
  4. TIME IN DISGUISE – Kings of Leon (8)
  5. LOVE LOVE LOVE – My Morning Jacket (4)
  6. STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (9)
  7. THE TIPPING POINT – Tears for Fears (10)
  8. BEGGIN’ – Måneskin (5)
  9. I DON’T WANNA TALK (I JUST WANNA DANCE) – Glass Animals (6)
  10. LOVE IN OCTOBER – Ships Have Sailed (7)
  11. I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (12)
  12. TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (13)
  13. LEFT BEHIND – a million rich daughters (14)
  14. SMILE – Wolf Alice (15)
  15. JOURNEYMAN’S BALLET – Sam Rappaport (17)
  16. U&ME – alt-J (18)
  17. ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (19)
  18. WAKE ME UP – Foals (20)
  19. THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (22)
  20. UNTIL I COME HOME – Two Feet & grandson (23)
  21. CHAPSTICK – COIN (24)
  22. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (25)
  23. THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (26)
  24. DON’T BRING ME DOWN – Two Feet (11)
  25. THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (30)
  26. JUSTIFIED – Kacey Musgraves (16)
  27. KALEIDOSCOPE – Soda Cracker Jesus (21)
  28. INDUSTRY BABY – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow (N)
  29. JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (N)
  30. REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (N)