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, September 27, 2020

Gorillaz are continuing to hang in there. Strange Timez, which debuted at No. 1 two weeks ago and hung in at the top spot last week, drops one spot to No. 2 this week for it's third straight week in the Top 3.  The song features Robert Smith of the Cure sounding exactly what you'd think Robert Smith singing with Gorillaz would sound like.

Our new No 1 champion is a debut by England's Royal Blood, who, frankly, I had never heard of before.  They have a Jack White, White Stripes/Raconteurs kind of sound, which is very popular in some circles and very radio friendly, so it's no surprise that they're at No. 1.

Here's a neat trick - Tame Impala are back in the Top 5, this time with a remix of a song that previously made the Top 5.  Blood Orange's remix of Borderline is enough to land them the No. 3 spot.  It's a nice, long, sexy, slow jam, bringing out the best in both the original artist and the remix artist.  It should also be noted that Blood Orange also has a song, a collaboration with 박혜진 Park Hye Jin, called Call Me (Freestyle) currently at the No. 29 spot.

This is sweet - Kurt Vile recorded a nice, Appalachian-sounding folk song, How Lucky, with the late John Prine before the latter's demise, and this simple and unassuming song debuted in the charts at the No. 4 position.

Finally, Sufjan Steven's latest, Sugar, hangs in the list at No. 5 after debuting last week at the No. 2 spot.  I may have sounded flippantly dismissive of the song last week - yes, it does sound unmistakably like Sufjan Stevens, but that's a good thing and this is a good song, a worthy addition to Steven's long discography.

Looking down the list, Porridge Radio's 7 Seconds is still in the Top 40 but just barely at No. 36. and there's no longer any sign of Deep Sea Diver and Sharon Van Etten's Impossible Weight.  Yo La Tengo's sole original composition, Bleeding, from their new album otherwise of covers, Sleepless Nights, debuts at No. 39 and probably isn't going to be in the Top 40 for very long.

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