Tag: twenty one pilots

Top 30 Songs for December 15-21, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

For more than 40 years, English alternative goth rock band The Cure have masterfully captured both the joyous highs and painful depths of love, loss and existential angst in their music, and their latest single “A Fragile Thing” is a shining example of that, as well as a strong testament to their enduring creativity and relevance. Released on October 9, the song was the second single (after the epic “Alone”) from their 14th studio album Songs of a Lost World, their first new material in 16 years since the release of 4:13 Dream in 2008. Entirely written, composed, and arranged by The Cure front man Robert Smith, the album was originally recorded and intended for release in 2019, and is the band’s first album to feature Reeves Gabrels, who joined as a full-time member in 2012, on guitar. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Songs of a Lost World has received universal acclaim, based on a weighted average score of 93 out of 100 from 23 critic scores.

Like all songs on the album, “A Fragile Thing” reflects the darker sentiments Smith was feeling after the loss of his mother, father and brother in quick succession. Nevertheless, he tried to keep the album “universal” in its themes, stating “So even though most of the songs are very personal, they’re not things that only happen to me.” In an October YouTube interview, he stated that he had struggled to write “A Fragile Thing”, saying it was originally a very different song titled “Kill The Sun”, but that it “mutated into this song, which is very specific to me, I suppose. “But I’m hoping that it resonates with other people because love is a universal thing.” He further explained that “A Fragile Thing” is “the ‘love song’ of the album, but not really a love song in the way that [1989’s] ‘Lovesong’ is a love song. It’s about how love is the most enduring of emotions. It’s the most powerful emotion, and it’s incredibly resilient. And yet at the same time, incredibly fragile.” The hauntingly beautiful song becomes the latest to top my Weekly Top 30 chart.

In other chart developments of note, “Sad in Carolina” by Dexter and The Moonrocks advances two spots to #2. Entering the top 10 are “The Faithful Heart” by Wons Phreely + The Horses, which climbs four spots to #8, and “Neverender” by French electronic music duo Justice and Australian band Tame Impala, moving up two spots to #9.

Two songs make their debut, the first of which, entering at #29, is “Darkerside” by American singer-songwriter David Kushner. Born in Chicago and now based in Los Angeles, the baritone-voiced artist began releasing singles in 2021, and the following year, his song “Mr. Miserable” went viral on TikTok. Though it didn’t chart in the U.S., it reached the top 40 in several European countries, Australia and New Zealand. His 2023 single “Daylight” also went viral on TikTok, becoming an even bigger hit, reaching #1 in the Netherlands, Switzerland and New Zealand and peaking at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been streamed over 1.3 billion times on Spotify alone. The anthemic “Darkerside”, along with “Daylight”, Mr. Miserable”, and his previous singles, are featured on his debut album The Dichotomy, which was released August 30th. The song has already spent 10 weeks on the Alternative Airplay chart, the past three at #23.

Entering at #30 is “You’re My Drug”, the latest single by Northern Virginia-based Talk in Waves, the music project of the very talented and affable singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mimikos. He’s been a long-time favorite of mine, and “You’re My Drug” is his eighth song to appear on my Top 30 chart. Five of them have gone all the way to #1, most recently his previous single “Like You Do” this past September. “You’re My Drug” is a sexy rocker, featuring an edgier, harder-driving sound for him, and I like it!

  1. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (2)
  2. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (4)
  3. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  4. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (5)
  5. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (3)
  6. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (7)
  7. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (6)
  8. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (12)
  9. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (11)
  10. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (9)
  11. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (13)
  12. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (14)
  13. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (16)
  14. KINKY – bby (15)
  15. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (8)
  16. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (18)
  17. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (19)
  18. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (20)
  19. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (21)
  20. GIVING UP – Michigander (22)
  21. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (10)
  22. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (24)
  23. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (26)
  24. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (29)
  25. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (17)
  26. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (30)
  27. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (25)
  28. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (23)
  29. DARKERSIDE – David Kushner (N)
  30. YOU’RE MY DRUG – Talk in Waves (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 8-14, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's10 Comments
Photo by Theo Cottle

Fontaines D.C. remain on top for a third week with their heartwarming “Favourite”, while The Cure switches places with Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars as “A Fragile Thing” moves up a notch to #2 and “Die With A Smile” drops to #3. Dexter and The Moonrocks jump five spots to #4 with their bombastic earworm “Sad in Carolina”, while Beach Weather move up two spots with their sultry “Hardcore Romance” to round out the top five. The wonderful “The Faithful Heart” by Los Angeles-based Wons Phreely + The Horses is this week’s biggest upward mover, leaping 16 spots to #12.

Making their debut are songs by two acts who are totally new to me. The first, entering at #29, is “Gild the Lily” by Michigan-based singer-songwriter and bluegrass musician Billy Strings. Born William Lee Apostol, he was given his stage name Billy Strings from his aunt, who recognized his impressive skills playing multiple traditional bluegrass instruments. He’s been releasing music as a solo artist since 2017, and has won numerous music awards, including a Grammy in 2021 for Best Bluegrass Album for his second album Home. The pleasing “Gild the Lily” is from his fourth album Highway Prayers, a 20-track colossus released this past September.

Entering at #30 is the boisterous “Peace Song” by English techno punk band Fat Dog. Formed in South London in 2020, the band consists of Joe Love, Chris Hughes, Morgan Wallace, Jacqui Wheeler and Johnny ‘Doghead’ Hutch. They released their debut seven-minute long single “King of the Slugs” in 2023, followed by a number of singles which culminated in the release of their debut album WOOF. this past September. Their latest single “Peace Song” dropped November 21st, and it was love at first listen for me.

  1. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (3)
  3. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (2)
  4. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (9)
  5. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (7)
  6. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (6)
  7. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (8)
  8. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (4)
  9. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (10)
  10. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (5)
  11. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (12)
  12. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (28)
  13. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (15)
  14. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (16)
  15. KINKY – bby (17)
  16. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (18)
  17. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (11)
  18. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (21)
  19. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (22)
  20. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (23)
  21. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (24)
  22. GIVING UP – Michigander (25)
  23. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (13)
  24. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (26)
  25. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (14)
  26. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (30)
  27. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (19)
  28. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (20)
  29. GILD THE LILY – Billy Strings (N)
  30. PEACE SONG – Fat Dog (N)

Top 30 Songs for December 1-7, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

As its title would suggest, my favorite song again this week is “Favourite” by Irish band Fontaines D.C., who’ve also become one of my favorite bands. And from posts I’ve read, on the strength of their latest album Romance, they’ve become the favorite of many others as well. In an interview with Fontaines D.C. front man Grian Chatten in September on his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music, Elton John told Chatten “For me, you’re the best band out there at the moment. You seem to have found your feet with this album in such a big way… it’s a brilliant record. I think this album takes you – and I’ve been around for a long time – to a different level, and it’s going to stay around for a long, long time. But what’s more important about it: the music is really, really, really special. Congratulations on everything, Grian. It’s bloody wonderful.” I couldn’t agree more. “Favourite” is the second song from Romance – and Fontaines D.C. – to top my Weekly Top 30, following “Starburster”, which spent three weeks at #1 this past August.

In other noteworthy chart developments, the wonderful duet “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars climbs two spots to #2, while “A Fragile Thing” by legendary alternative goth-rock band The Cure jumps three spots to #3. Entering the top 10 are “Sad In Carolina” by Texas rock band Dexter and The Moonrocks and “Bothering Me” by Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko.

Two songs make their debut, the first of which is the heartwarming “The Faithful Heart” by Australian-born and Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Wons Phreely and his band The Horses, entering at #28. I wrote about the song and its delightful video a few days ago, which you can read here. The second, entering at #30, is “Routines In The Night” by twenty one pilots. It’s the third song from their latest album Clancy to appear on my chart, following “Overcompensate”, which reached #2, and “The Craving”, which spent three weeks at #1.

  1. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (1)
  2. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars (4)
  3. A FRAGILE THING – The Cure (6)
  4. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (2)
  5. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (3)
  6. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (7)
  7. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (8)
  8. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (9)
  9. SAD IN CAROLINA – Dexter and The Moonrocks (12)
  10. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (11)
  11. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (5)
  12. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (14)
  13. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (10)
  14. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (13)
  15. SUPERSAD – Suki Waterhouse (17)
  16. BOBBY SOX – Green Day (18)
  17. KINKY – bby (19)
  18. A TEAR IN SPACE (AIRLOCK) – Glass Animals (20)
  19. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (14)
  20. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (18)
  21. MIND GAME (3:33) – Collette McLafferty & John Serrano (23)
  22. DOPAMINE – Sum 41 (24)
  23. IN THE LIVING ROOM – Maggie Rogers (26)
  24. ARROW – The Head and the Heart (28)
  25. GIVING UP – Michigander (29)
  26. AUTUMN LEAVES – Secret Postal Society (30)
  27. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (21)
  28. THE FAITHFUL HEART – Wons Phreely + The Horses (N)
  29. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (27)
  30. ROUTINES IN THE NIGHT – twenty one pilots (N)

Top 30 Songs for October 20-26, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's7 Comments
Photo by David James Swanson

Guitarist extraordinaire Jack White remains on top for a second week with his bombastic rocker “That’s How I’m Feeling”, while silky-voiced Leon Bridges moves into second place with his mellifluous single “Peaceful Place”. Entering the top 10 are “The Door” by powerhouse singer-songwriter Teddy Swims, at #8, and “Death Valley High” by the enigmatic and sexy country singer-songwriter Orville Peck and singer-songwriter-producer Beck, at #10. Two songs share the biggest upward mover title this week – “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars and “The Lighthouse” by Stevie Nicks, each jumping eight spots to #15 and #17, respectively.

The sole debut is “Neverender”, a wonderful collaboration by French electronic music duo Justice and Australian band Tame Impala. Consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, Justice is completely new to me, despite the fact they’ve been making music for nearly 20 years. They’re quite popular, with over 5.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 1.5 million followers on Facebook. Tame Impala, fronted by insanely talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker, ranks high among my favorite music acts. As far as I’m concerned, any song involving Tame Impala is a winner, and their collaboration “New Gold” with Gorillaz and Bootie Brown is my #2 song of 2023. “Neverender” is from Justice’s fourth studio album Hyperdrama, released this past April.

  1. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (1)
  2. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (4)
  3. MESSY – Lola Young (2)
  4. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (6)
  5. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (5)
  6. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (7)
  7. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (3)
  8. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (12)
  9. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (10)
  10. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (11)
  11. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (15)
  12. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (8)
  13. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (9)
  14. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (18)
  15. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (23)
  16. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (17)
  17. THE LIGHTHOUSE – Stevie Nicks (25)
  18. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (21)
  19. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (22)
  20. HOLOGRAM – Raker (20)
  21. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in Waves (13) 20th week on chart
  22. WAR – Healer (14)
  23. HONEY – Mr Bewlay (16)
  24. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (26)
  25. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (27)
  26. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (29)
  27. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (30)
  28. LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (19)
  29. THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (24)
  30. NEVERENDER – Justice & Tame Impala (N)

Top 30 Songs for October 13-19, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's15 Comments
Photo of Jack White by David James Swanson

As I curate my Top 30 chart each week – which essentially reflects my favorite songs at that moment in time – I cannot deny that my choices are influenced to some degree by what’s happening on other “official” music charts. Sometimes a song comes along that’s either so good or has such strong crossover appeal that it tops nearly every major chart. But more often than not, totally different songs top each of the various charts, with virtually no overlap. Case in point is this week, where the mediocre “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey has inexplicably spent 13 weeks and counting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “The Emptiness Machine” by the reconstituted rock band Linkin Park is #1 on the Mainstream Rock and Alternative Airplay charts, and “Up All Night”, a collaboration between James Bay, The Lumineers and Noah Kahan, is #1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. None of these three songs appears on the other mentioned charts.

I’m not quite sure what the point of that discussion is, other than to provide a bit of context, but my new favorite song this week is “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White, which does currently occupy a spot in the top 10 of most alternative and rock charts. The boisterous rocker was the lead single from his sixth studio album released as a solo artist, No Name, which dropped this past July. Many music critics and fans have praised the album and song, calling it a return to his blues and garage roots and favorably comparing it to his music with the White Stripes. It’s probably my favorite song by White as a solo artist.

In other chart highlights, “Peaceful Place” by Leon Bridges climbs six spots to #4, and the ethereal and dreamy “Into Gold” by London Grammar moves up four spots to enter the top 10 at #10. The aforementioned “Up All Night” jumps seven spots to #18, making it the biggest upward mover this week. Three songs make their debut, the first of which, entering at #25, is “The Lighthouse”, a powerful song of both anger and hope by legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks, who’s still going strong at 76. (I saw her in concert last December, which you can read about here.) She performed the song last night on Saturday Night Live, her first appearance on the long-running show in 41 years.

Inspired by the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022, Nicks co-wrote the song with Magnus Birgersson and Vincent Villuis. The track was co-produced by Nicks, Sheryl Crow (who plays electric guitar and bass and sings backing vocals), and famed producer Chris Cobb (who’s worked with Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, Take That, Rival Sons, and many more), who also played guitar. The song begins rather tentatively, and Nicks’ vocals sound quite different in the verses; at first listen I thought they might be by another singer, but she sounds like her usual self in the anthemic choruses.

The second debut, entering at #29, is “The Emptiness Machine” by Linkin Park. I was resistant to the song at first, as I had mixed feelings about the legendary band taking on a new female co-lead singer, resulting in a major change to their style and sound. But after reading through scores of comments on the YouTube video for the song, I came to realize I was the one who was being closed-minded. The song, which quickly shot to #1 on the Rock and Alternative charts, has since grown on me. Coming in at #30 is “Nobody’s Soldier” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, whose previous single “Too Sweet” has become one of the biggest hits of the year. His latest single is more fast-paced and harder-driven than his usual style. I like it!

  1. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (4)
  2. MESSY – Lola Young (1)
  3. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (2)
  4. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (10)
  5. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (6)
  6. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (7)
  7. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (8)
  8. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (3)
  9. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (9)
  10. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (14)
  11. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (15)
  12. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (16)
  13. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in Waves (5) 19th week on chart
  14. WAR – Healer (12)
  15. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (18)
  16. HONEY – Mr Bewlay (13)
  17. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (19)
  18. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (25)
  19. LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (11)
  20. HOLOGRAM – Raker (22)
  21. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (23)
  22. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (24)
  23. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (28)
  24. THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (17)
  25. THE LIGHTHOUSE – Stevie Nicks (N)
  26. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (29)
  27. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (30)
  28. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn (20)
  29. THE EMPTINESS MACHINE – Linkin Park (N)
  30. NOBODY’S SOLDIER – Hozier (N)

Top 30 Songs for October 6-12, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments
Photo by Sophie Jones

Though it’s now Autumn, the weather here in the Southern California desert is still quite summer-like, with temperatures over the past week ranging from 107-117 (41-47C). This unrelenting heat, combined with the sorry state of our impending election, in which a vile, incoherent and corrupt serial liar has a good chance of being elected President for a second time, has made it difficult for me to stay positive. Thankfully, there’s lots of great music to help brighten my mood a bit.

English singer-songwriter and musician Lola Young‘s “Messy”, a scathing rant against a romantic partner who can never be satisfied, remains at #1 for a second week, while Cage the Elephant‘s “Rainbow” moves into second place. Jack White‘s boisterous “That’s How I’m Feeling” climbs four spots to #4, and the appropriately titled “Peaceful Place” by Leon Bridges jumps seven spots to enter the top 10 at #10. The gorgeous song is from his fourth studio album Leon, which dropped this past Friday, October 4th. “Favourite” by Fontaines D.C. is this week’s biggest upward mover, leaping eight spots to #18. (Their song “Starburster” falls eight spots to #26, its 19th week on this chart, three of which were spent at #1 and another three at #2.)

Two songs enter my chart this week, the first of which is “Hardcore Romance”, a steamy and sultry number by one of my favorite bands Beach Weather, whose equally sultry “High In Low Places” has spent the past 18 weeks on my chart, three of them at #1. Both songs will be included on their forthcoming second album Melt, scheduled for release on October 25th.

Entering at #30 is the darkly beautiful “Bothering Me”, by Australian singer-songwriter, musician and producer Sarah Blasko, which I learned about in a recent post by fellow blogger Robert Horvat, who writes a terrific blog Rearview Mirror. About the meaning behind the song, Sarah told Australian webzine Noise11: “Dreams seem to be a way of processing things that happen during the day and so I embraced dreaming as a way of getting over things. Getting older is TOUGH. Sometimes I don’t know who I am anymore and that I’ve lost touch with the person I used to be and the dreams I held. I try to let go but not let go at the same time because dreams are important.” “Bothering Me” is the second single from her forthcoming seventh studio album I Just Need to Conquer This Mountain, to be released in November.

  1. MESSY – Lola Young (1)
  2. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (3)
  3. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (4)
  4. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (8)
  5. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in Waves (2)
  6. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (6)
  7. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (7)
  8. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (9)
  9. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (10)
  10. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (17)
  11. LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (5)
  12. WAR – Healer (13)
  13. HONEY – Mr Bewlay (14)
  14. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (15)
  15. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (16)
  16. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (20)
  17. THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (11)
  18. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (26)
  19. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (21)
  20. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn (22)
  21. OH NO! – The Decemberists (12)
  22. HOLOGRAM – Raker (23)
  23. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (24)
  24. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (25)
  25. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (28)
  26. STARBURSTER – Fontaines D.C. (18) 19th week on chart)
  27. HIGH IN LOW PLACES – Beach Weather (19)
  28. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (29)
  29. HARDCORE ROMANCE – Beach Weather (N)
  30. BOTHERING ME – Sarah Blasko (N)

Top 30 Songs for September 29-October 5, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments
Photo by Sophie Jones

A new week, another new song to top my chart. “Messy”, the defiant, emotionally-charged single by English singer-songwriter and musician Lola Young, ascends to the #1 spot. The 23-year-old South London-based artist lists Joni Mitchell, Prince, Adele, SZA, Frank Ocean, and Anderson .Paak among her musical influences, and her provocative songwriting and smoky vocal style have earned her comparisons with the late Amy Winehouse. “Messy” is from her critically-acclaimed third album This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, which dropped June 21st. Young named-dropped its title in a statement: “Here is my first born child, a fuck you to all my exes, and basically me just trying to figure out some shit openly and honestly on record. First of many and if you don’t like it, then this wasn’t meant for you anyway.”

Accordingly, “Messy” is an angry tirade to a romantic partner, with brilliantly written, highly relatable lyrics expressing her exasperation with them for never being satisfied with her, no matter how hard she’s tried to please them: “Cause I’m too messy and then I’m too fucking clean. You told me get a job then you ask where the hell I’ve been. And I’m too perfect till I open my big mouth. I want to be me, is that not allowed? And I’m too perfect till I show you that I’m not. A thousand people I could be for you, and you hate the fucking lot.” I love both the song and video.

Three songs enter the top 10 this week – “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, and “You Just Played My Mind” by English singer-songwriter Oli Barton, charting at #8, #9 and #10, respectively. Teddy Swims has the biggest upward mover with his marvelous single “The Door”, jumping eight spots to #20. The lone debut this week is “Die With A Smile”, the beautiful collaborative single by music heavyweights Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, finally entering my chart at #29. Though I really like both artists, it took a while for the song to grow on me for some inexplicable reason.

  1. MESSY – Lola Young (4)
  2. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in waves (1)
  3. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (3)
  4. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (5)
  5. LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (2)
  6. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (8)
  7. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (10)
  8. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (14)
  9. GOOD LUCK, BABE!” – Chappell Roan (11)
  10. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (13)
  11. THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (6)
  12. OH NO! – The Decemberists (7)
  13. WAR – Healer (15)
  14. HONEY – Mr Bewlay (16)
  15. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (17)
  16. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (18)
  17. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (20)
  18. STARBURSTER – Fontaines D.C. (9)
  19. HIGH IN LOW PLACES – Beach Weather (12)
  20. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (28)
  21. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (23)
  22. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn (22)
  23. HOLOGRAM – Raker (24)
  24. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (25)
  25. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (26)
  26. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (27)
  27. PANORAMIC VIEW – AWOLNATION (19) 21st week on chart
  28. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (30)
  29. DIE WITH A SMILE – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (N)
  30. WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH (21)

Top 30 Songs for September 22-28, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's8 Comments

Talk in Waves, the newly-rechristened music project of Northern Virginia-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mimikos that was formerly known as The Frontier, is a long-time favorite artist of mine. The talented, hard working guy skillfully blends elements of folk, pop, indie rock and electronica to create songs that are incredibly melodic, flawlessly crafted and always catchy, all self-recorded and produced in his home studio. As with many singer-songwriters, Jake’s songs are often inspired by personal experiences, touching on relatable topics like love, relationships and loss, which are expressed through lyrics that are honest and straightforward, and delivered with his warm, pleasing vocals.

His latest single “Like You Do” (which I reviewed in May) finally ascends to the #1 spot on my Top 30 after a long, steady climb. The bittersweet song is directed toward a former romantic partner who the singer desperately longs for, and wishes would come back into his life. It’s his fifth song to reach #1 on my chart, following “Dark Places” (2019), “Can We Go Back” (2021), “Closer” (2022) and “Walk Through the Fire” (2023), while his 2020 single “Sleep” reached #2.

In other chart news of note, both Cage the Elephant‘s “Rainbow” and Lola Young‘s “Messy” advance five spots to #3 and #4, respectively, while Billie Eilish moves up two spots to enter the top 10 with her lovely song “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”. “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White also climbs five spots to #14, while “Peaceful Place” by Leon Bridges leaps eight spots to #20, making it the biggest upward mover this week.

Two songs enter my chart this week, starting with the hard-driving and soulful “The Door” by American singer-songwriter Teddy Swims (aka Jaten Collin Dimsdale). Co-written by Swims and John Ryan, John Sudduth, Sherwyn Nicholls, Joshua Coleman, and Julian Bunetta, he says the song is about saving his own life and finding the courage to walk out on an abusive relationship that played a part in driving his friends and family out of his life. (Wikipedia) “The Door” was originally released last September as one of the tracks on his debut album I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1), and as the album’s third single this past April. Swims reached #1 on my chart earlier this year with “Lose Control”. Entering at #30 is “Up All Night”, a rousing collaboration by a powerhouse lineup of English singer-songwriter James Bay, Colorado-based alternative folk band The Lumineers and Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. All three acts have previously scored #1 songs on my chart.

  1. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in Waves (3)
  2. LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (1)
  3. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (8)
  4. MESSY – Lola Young (9)
  5. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (6)
  6. THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (2)
  7. OH NO! – The Decemberists (5)
  8. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (10)
  9. STARBURSTER – Fontaines D.C. (4)
  10. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (12)
  11. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (13)
  12. HIGH IN LOW PLACES – Beach Weather (7)
  13. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (15)
  14. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (19)
  15. WAR – Healer (16)
  16. HONEY – Mr Bewlay (17)
  17. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (18)
  18. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (20)
  19. PANORAMIC VIEW – AWOLNATION (11) 20th week on chart
  20. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (28)
  21. WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH (14)
  22. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn (22)
  23. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (23)
  24. HOLOGRAM – Raker (25)
  25. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (26)
  26. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (29)
  27. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (30)
  28. THE DOOR – Teddy Swims (N)
  29. WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo feat. Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso, Gabrielle Marella and the voice of Tony Milillo (21)
  30. UP ALL NIGHT – James Bay, The Lumineers & Noah Kahan (N)

Top 30 Songs for September 15-21, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's11 Comments

Three and a half months after its release, “Lost In Space” by Foster the People finally ascends to the #1 spot, something I would not have predicted when it first appeared on my chart 12 weeks ago. Though they’ve been one of my favorite bands for well over 10 years, I wasn’t sure about the song at first. With its throwback disco/funk beat and heavy electronic vibe , it sounded quite different from anything they’d done before. In time, however, it eventually grew on me to the point where I now love it. I like its exuberant cinematic feel, especially the lush orchestral strings. “Lost In Space” was the lead single from their fourth studio album Paradise State of Mind, released on August 16, and is their fourth song to top my chart, following “Pumped Up Kicks”, “Coming of Age” and “Sit Next To Me”.

Still based in Los Angeles since forming in 2009, Foster the People now consists of founding member and front man Mark Foster and multi-instrumentalist Isom Innis, who started as a touring member of the band way back in 2010. A lot has happened with Foster and the band since the release of their 2017 album Sacred Hearts Club; he got sober in 2018, married actress Julia Garner in 2019, and saw the departure of the band’s founding drummer Mark Pontius in early 2021 during the waning days of the Covid pandemic, when they were unable to tour or perform live. All these changes caused Foster to look inward. In an interview with GRAMMY.com, he explained “I just dove into myself, really unpacking a lot of things emotionally, psychologically. Finding out who Mark is outside of music and getting comfortable with that.” He decided to explore new musical sounds for their next record Paradise State of Mind, diving into the disco/funk crossover pioneered by artists like Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder in the late ’70s, utilizing synth stylings similar to that of P-Funk’s Bernie Worrell. In a Reddit thread, he noted that 95% of the synths are analog, and all of the strings are live.

The colorful video, a great deal of which is shot in vivid red hues, was directed by Rupert Höller. It’s kind of a modernized and trippy take on the Busby Berkeley movie musicals of the 1930s, with Mark Foster filmed on various sets, one of them a tall red staircase, and surrounded by lots of dancers. Though it’s a pretty enjoyable video overall, I can’t figure out the intended meaning of all those hands swaying, fluttering and caressing Foster’s face.

In other chart news of note, Virginia-based singer-songwriter Jake Mimikos, who’s been recording and releasing music as The Frontier for the past 10 years, has just changed his music moniker to Talk in waves, to reflect his evolving sound. His latest single “Like You Do” advances a spot to #3. English singer-songwriters Lola Young and Myles Smith enter the top 10 with their songs “Messy” and “Stargazing”, each moving up two spots to #9 and #10, respectively.

Three marvelous songs make their debut this week, the first of which is the lovely and captivating “Peaceful Place” by enormously talented Texas-based singer-songwriter Leon Bridges. I love his pleasing style of R&B-influenced neo soul, particularly his smooth and warm vocals. The song is the lead single from his fourth studio album Leon, scheduled for release on October 4, 2024, and marks Bridges’ sixth appearance on my chart, four times as a solo artist and twice in collaboration with Texas-based psych rock band Khruangbin. His beautiful song “Bad Bad News” ranks #29 on my Top 100 Songs of the 2010’s list.

Entering at #29 is the delightful “can’t slow down” by San Diego-based indie pop trio almost monday. It’s their second appearance on my chart, their first being their 2020 single “broken people”. They’ll be releasing their debut studio album Dive on September 25th. Last, but certainly not least, is “Favourite” by Irish band Fontaines D.C., the second single to be released from their outstanding latest album Romance, which dropped August 23rd. Along with “Starburster”, which spent three weeks at #1 and currently sits at #4, “Favourite” gives the band two songs on this chart.

  1. LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (3)
  2. THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (1)
  3. LIKE YOU DO – Talk in waves (4)
  4. STARBURSTER – Fontaines D.C. (2)
  5. OH NO! – The Decemberists (6)
  6. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (8)
  7. HIGH IN LOW PLACES – Beach Weather (5)
  8. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (10)
  9. MESSY – Lola Young (11)
  10. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (12)
  11. PANORAMIC VIEW – AWOLNATION (7)
  12. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (14)
  13. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (15)
  14. WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH (9)
  15. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (16)
  16. WAR – Healer (18)
  17. HONEY – Mr Bewlay (19)
  18. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (20)
  19. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (21)
  20. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (22)
  21. WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo feat. Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso, Gabrielle Marella and the voice of Tony Milillo (13)
  22. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn (26)
  23. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (27)
  24. A FORETOLD ECSTASY – Mayflower Madame (17)
  25. HOLOGRAM – Raker (29)
  26. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (30)
  27. RUN YOUR MOUTH – The Marías (24)
  28. PEACEFUL PLACE – Leon Bridges (N)
  29. CAN’T SLOW DOWN – almost monday (N)
  30. FAVOURITE – Fontaines D.C. (N)

Top 30 Songs for September 8-14, 2024

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Weekly Top 30's13 Comments

The past week has been blazing hot in Southern California, with many locations either reaching or breaking their all-time record high temperatures (112 in downtown L.A., 114 in Burbank, 119 in Woodland Hills and 121 in Palm Springs, the sixth time this summer it’s reached or exceeded 120 here!). My latest top 30 is sizzling hot too, filled with terrific songs by some of the best artists making music today.

“The Craving” by twenty one pilots maintains a firm grip on the top spot for a third week, while Fontaines D.C.‘s “Starburster” still has the power to excite and amaze, and thus remains at #2 for a third week after spending three weeks at #1. Moving into third place is “Lost In Space” by one of my longtime favorite acts Foster the People. The song took a while to really grab me, but now I love it! Always dependable singer-songwriter The Frontier moves up a notch to #4 with his heartwarming “Like You Do”, while Beach Weather‘s sultry “High In Low Places” inches down a notch to #5. It’s the song’s 11th week in the top five, three of which were spent at #1. Cage the Elephant‘s “Rainbow” moves up one, entering the top 10 at #10. The biggest upward movers this week are “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White and “Death Valley High” by Orville Peck & Beck, each advancing seven spots to #21 and #22, respectively.

Two songs make their debut this week, starting with the lovely “Hologram” by Miami-based pop-rock duo Raker (which I reviewed last month). The second is the captivating and sensuous “Garmonbozia” by Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, musician and producer Flying Lotus (aka Steven Ellison), which I learned about in a recent post on the wonderful New Music Jason’s Picks blog. The talented and multi-faceted artist has had a long and successful career since 2007, releasing ten albums, numerous EPs, and collaborating with the likes of Thundercat, Denzel Curry, Anderson .Paak and Smoke DZA, among others. Ellison named the song after the mysterious substance that looks like creamed corn and represents “pain and sorrow” referenced in the TV series Twin Peaks.

  1. THE CRAVING – twenty one pilots (1)
  2. STARBURSTER – Fontaines D.C. (2)
  3. LOST IN SPACE – Foster the People (6)
  4. LIKE YOU DO – The Frontier (5)
  5. HIGH IN LOW PLACES – Beach Weather (4)
  6. OH NO! – The Decemberists (7)
  7. PANORAMIC VIEW – AWOLNATION (3)
  8. ESPRESSO – Sabrina Carpenter (8)
  9. WHAT IF I FEEL LIKE THIS MY WHOLE LIFE? – HULLAH (9)
  10. RAINBOW – Cage the Elephant (11)
  11. MESSY – Lola Young (12)
  12. STARGAZING – Myles Smith (15)
  13. WAKING LIFE – Nicholas a. Milillo feat. Dee Wolf, Bobby Jasso, Gabrielle Marella and the voice of Tony Milillo (13)
  14. BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish (19)
  15. GOOD LUCK, BABE! – Chappell Roan (20)
  16. YOU JUST PLAYED MY MIND – Oli Barton (18)
  17. A FORETOLD ECSTASY – Mayflower Madame (10)
  18. WAR – Healer (21)
  19. HONEY – Mr Bewlay (22)
  20. INTO GOLD – London Grammar (26)
  21. THAT’S HOW I’M FEELING – Jack White (28)
  22. DEATH VALLEY HIGH – Orville Peck & Beck (29)
  23. LUNCH – Billie Eilish (14)
  24. RUN YOUR MOUTH – The Marías (16)
  25. I HAD SOME HELP – Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen (17)
  26. PERMANENT RECORD – GG Fearn (27)
  27. BIG CAT TATTOOS – Hamish Hawk (30)
  28. WRECKAGE – Pearl Jam (23)
  29. HOLOGRAM – Raker (N)
  30. GARMONBOZIA – Flying Lotus (N)