Alternative Top 5 List, October 18, 2020

We have a new No. 1 - Lana Del Rey's pop song, Let Me Love You Like A Woman.  A Polydor/Inerscope records release, I fail to see how this is "indie," and there's little "alternative" to the generic pop sound. If anyone can find anything interesting in this song, please let me know what it is.  I guess it's just too deep for me.

With Del Rey snagging the No. 1 spot, our 1-2-3 of last week in now 4-3-2.  Last week's No. 3, an electro-pop number by Romy titled Lifetime, is now No. 2 and last week's No. 2, Californian Soil by London Grammar, is now No. 3.  Gorillaz' The Pink Phantom falls to No. 4 from it's two-week perch at the No. 1 spot.  The Elton John collaboration sounds exactly what you'd think Elton John singing with Gorillaz would sound like.

Hit factory beabadoobee has another one out - Together debuts on the list at No. 5.  Her How Was Your Day? is still on the list (third week) at No. 24.  Her radio-friendly rock songs aren't bad and sound pretty good in a playlist, but I hope for her sake that she doesn't over-saturate the market and become a short-lived phenomenon.

Looking down the list, Fleet Foxes continue their improbable journey through the chart.  Can I Believe You was No. 19 two weeks ago, moved up to No. 4 last week, and is now No. 9.  Where it goes from there is anyone's guess. 

Further down the list, Sharon Van Etten's Let Go, which has been posted on these pages, debuts on the chart at No. 12.  Julia Holter's sublime So Humble the Afternoon, which was also posted here, debuts at No. 36. And The Antlers' Wheels Roll Home is still in the Top 40 but just barely - it dropped from No. 32 to the No. 40 spot.

The rest you can hear for yourself on the radio.  

List compiled "from over 70 alt and new release sources" by alt.nwmsc.com   Enjoy!

Alternative Top 5 List, October 4, 2020

The more things change, the more they stay the same - Gorillaz' Strange Timez finally drops out of the Top 5 (it's now No. 10), but our new No. 1 is another Gorillaz song, this time a collaboration with Elton John and rapper 6lack called The Pink Phantom.  It sounds exactly what you'd think Elton John crooning with Gorillaz would sound like.

No. 2 is an electro-pop number by Romy titled Lifetime, and No. 3 is Californian Soil by by London Grammar.  

beabadoobee is back in the Top 5 with her latest song, How Was Your Day? from her LP.  I've lost track of how many songs of hers spent their week in the Top 5, and her previous single, Worth It, is still in the Top 40 at No. 24..

Finally, England's Royal Blood, whose song Trouble's Coming, debuted last week at No. 1, are now in the No. 5 place.  

Looking down the list, I don't see much that interests me.  No more Porridge Radio and no more Yo La Tengo.  No Deep Sea Diver with Sharon Van Etten.  It's not that today's music is bad, per se, but generally speaking, it's awfully uninspired and uninspiring.  

List compiled "from over 70 alt and new release sources" by alt.nwmsc.com   Enjoy!

Alternative Top 5 Chart, August 30, 2020

 

Identical, the new Phoenix synth-pop song from the soundtrack of the upcoming Bill Murray movie, On The Rocks, debuted at No 3 last week and is now our new No. 1.  Congratulations Phoenix, but don't get used to it - songs typically don't remain at No. 1 on this list for long

Norway's Marie Ulven, who performs as Girl in Red, takes the No. 2 spot with the synth-pop song Rue, apparently about the character Rue in HBO's Euphoria (she's wearing the same hoodie as Rue in the song's video).

Baby It's You, the synth-pop ballad by England's London Grammar (not the Burt Bacharach song covered by The Beatles in 1963 and by Smith in 1969) slipped from No. 2 last week to No. 3 this week.

It's typical and we should have seen it coming.  Although Sufjan Steven's synth-pop tune Video Game is a perfectly fine song, it's probably the least interesting of his recent outstanding releases (America, My Rajneesh, etc.), yet it's the one that debuted two weeks ago at No. 1 and remains in the Top 5 this week at No. 4. As I said, typical.

Finally, the No. 5 spot is taken by To S, last week's No. 4.  A one-off single by crooner Father John Misty backed with To R. (for Skyler and Robin of his old band, Fleet Foxes?), the song is a folk-rock ballad and not synth pop like the rest of this week's Top 5.

List compiled "from over 70 alt and new release sources" by alt.nwmsc.com   Enjoy!

Alternative Top 5 Chart, August 23, 2020

It's typical and we should have seen it coming.  Although Sufjan Steven's synthpop tune Video Game is a perfectly fine song, it's probably the least interesting of his recent outstanding releases (America, My Rajneesh, etc.), yet it's the one that debuted last week at No. 1 on the New Alternative Top 40 Chart and remains at the Number 1 spot again this week. As I said, typical.

Everything else in the Top 5 debuted this week.  England's London Grammar takes the No. 2 spot with Baby It's You (not the Burt Bacharach song covered by The Beatles in 1963 and Smith in 1969), Phoenix are back with a song from the soundtrack of the new Bill Murray movie On The Rocks at No 3, the No. 4 spot is taken by To S,.a one-off single by Father John Misty backed with To R. (for Skyler and Robin of his old band, Fleet Foxes?), and Angel Olsen's Waving, Smiling, which we posted here last Tuesday, takes No. 5.

All in all, not bad for a Top 5 - a little heavy on the ballads but perhaps the best quintet we've seen since we started posting this series.

List compiled "from over 70 alt and new release sources" by alt.nwmsc.com   Enjoy!