Leon Bridges holds onto the top spot for a second week with his bucolic and soulful “Peaceful Place”, while “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish remain at #’s 2 and 3 for a second week. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars enter the top 10 with their duet “Die With A Smile”.

Perhaps the biggest music event of this past week was the release of Songs of a Lost World, the long-awaited fourteenth album by The Cure. The legendary English alternative goth rock band has undeniably had a massive influence on too many artists and bands to name over the past 40 years, so for them to release an album of all new material – their first new album in 16 years – is a momentous occasion. And more importantly, Songs of a Lost World does not disappoint, as Robert Smith (who’s now 65) and The Cure sound every bit as great and relevant as they ever have. The band teased the new album with the release of “Alone” in late September, a sprawling cinematic masterpiece running nearly seven minutes. They followed two weeks later with “A Fragile Thing”, an equally gorgeous song that enters my chart at #26.

The second, long-overdue debut this week is “Mind Game”, a lovely collaboration by Chicago-based singer-songwriter and author Collette Mclafferty and Spanish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer John Serrano, a hyper-talented artist whose music I’ve previously featured a couple times on this blog. Mclafferty wrote the lyrics and sang lead vocals, while Serrano composed the music, played all instrumentation, sang backing harmonies and produced the track.

1. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (1)
2. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (2)
3. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (3)
4. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (6)
5. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (4)
6. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (8)
7. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (9)
8. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (5)
9. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (10)
10. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (11)
11. THE LIGHTHOUSE – Stevie Nicks (14)
12. MESSY – Lola Young (7)
13. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (16)
14. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (17)
15. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (19)
16. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (23)
17. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (20)
18. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (12)
19. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (13)
20. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (22)
21. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (24)
22. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and the Moonrocks (27)
23. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (15)
24. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (28)
25. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (29)
26. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (N)
27. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (18)
28. KINKY – bby (30)
29. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (21)
30. MIND GAME – Collette Mclafferty & John Serrano (N)