Weekly Top 30 for February 22nd

Good morning!

Well this weeks chart continues the domination of the ladies as now 9 of the Top 10 songs are sung by female singers  and it looks to remain that way as songs from TORRES, Chastity Belt, Bjork and Zella Day all look primed for Top 10 success.

As of now though, no one is coming close to touching my favourite Australian, Courtney Barnett. Her "Pedestrian At Best" song is so far out in number 1 it might as well be number 1, 2, 3 & 4 (yep, KRS-One reference there for you).  The ladies from Purity Ring, Chvrches, Waxahatchee and Miss Natalie Prass are all on her heels though.  New to the top 10 is another female artist, Brooklyn's Mitski. A fuzzy pop singer who's "Townie" song grows on you like many of the new modern-retro music seems to these days. She's pushes up to #7.

New to the Top 30 are 6 songs, of course 4 of them by the ladies. Most notably, Chastity Belt,  who are an all female rock band from the Seattle area, not unlike new comeback artists Sleater-Kinney. While they may not sound like SK, Chastity Belt has a cool sound and will be touring with our number 1 artist, Courtney Barnett, this spring. 

So now we have Purity Ring and Chastity Belt both in the Top 30, haha.

Other new songs are Toro Y Moi's new song "Empty Nesters" which is a departure and more upbeat song than his previous work. Bjork also re-enters the Top 30, after a long hiatus, with the lead track from her new 2015 record, Vulnicura. Finally Fairfax, VA band Doldrums puts their first ever Sonick Radio single into the Top 30 with "Hotfoot". 

Weekly Top 30 for February 15th

 Well school is back in session for me so things are a bit crazier now but the Top 30s roll on!

  This week we have an unprecedented (in recent memory) number 1 song! Courtney Barnett's new single "Pedestrian At Best" went from unheard to number 1 in just 2 weeks.  This song rips so hard you just don't even know. Most songs ease their way into the top spot but there was no denying Courtney her second ever #1 on Sonick Radio and her 4th Top 10 song. Congratulations!

    Chvrches throw another song into the top 10 and songs from MO and Purity Ring are still making their moves. New to the Top 10 are songs from Natalie Prass and Waxahatchee, making for 8 of the top 10 this week to be sung by female vocalists. In fact, we can kind of make it 9 since I believe there is a female singer throughout at least part of the Dan Deacon song! In fact looking further back, songs 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 are at least partially sung by females. Girl power!

     New songs into the Top 30 are the new Death Cab For Cutie song "Black Sun" and songs from Gangly, Viet Cong and Torres, who jumps from 78 all the way to 30!

    This year is starting to really have some good songs early and I'm excited to see what the usual barrage of spring and summer tunes brings us for 2015!

  

Weekly Top 30 for February 8th

A bit late in posting this weeks Top 30 but here it is.  We have a NEW #1 song this week with Modest Mouse's "Lampshades On Fire". This is MM's first #1 song since Float On in 2004! Congratulations. 

Slipping out of #1 is Purity Ring's Push Pull but it only falls to #2 and their 2nd single from their 2015 forthcoming record breaks into the Top 10 at #6. Chvrches, Dan Deacon and MO are also still moving up towards #1.

Big movers and newbies this week are the new Waxahatchee song "Air", the 2nd single from Modest Mouse, "Coyotes" and a new band on the Sonick radar, Mitski.  Mitski is a Brooklyn lady who, with her band, have made a pretty good fuzzy, noisy but summery pop record and will be touring with Sonick favorites Hundred Waters in the spring. The song "Townie" makes it Top 30 debut at #25 and I expect it to keep moving up in the coming weeks.

On the horizon we have songs from Matt & Kim, Bjork, the new single from Death Cab For Cutie and a new song from Courtney Barnett that I am completely in love with.

I can almost smell the great spring/summer tunes from here!

That New Courtney Barnett song tho.....

Not a lot of very good things come from Australia, but Courtney Barnett is probably (next to Tame Impala) the best thing to come from down under since Paul Hogan.

Back at the end of 2013 is when I first heard of her and she seems to only be getting better. Her new track "Pedestrian At Best" is a searing, ripping ass rock tune that makes up for in power that it lacks in lyrical security.   It's not a song you'd dedicate to your new love this coming Valentine's Day but I'll bet it ends up on year end lists all over the web in December.

Her album is out March 23rd kids.

TORRES' new song is amazing!

TORRES is a Nashville singer, real name Mackenzie Scott, who is only 24 but has already released one album and has plans for another. Her first album, the self-titled Torres, seemed slow and hard to listen to at first listen and she kind of got brushed under my musical carpet in 2013.

A few days ago, however, she released a song from her upcoming second album.  The beginning was the sounding of another slow, ambling track like that of 2013.  The song "Strange Hellos" almost instantly becomes a searing rock song that PJ Harvey may be proud to call her own. Grungy, distorted guitars accentuates her ever powerful. The song actually seems to just get more powerful as the song goes on as she wishes over and over again "I hope you find what you're looking for".

This song is not doubt primed for the Top 10 on my weekly chart.  I can't wait to hear what the rest of her new album will sound like!

Please take a listen!

Amen Dunes "Song to the Siren"

Normally I am not a cover song type person.  I don’t care for tribute bands and I rarely think cover songs are worth much more than a time filler at maybe a festival where many of the crowd are unfamiliar with your entire body of work.  That said, I sometimes come across one that works perfectly.

Amen Dunes, aka Damon McMahon (no relation to Andrew) is from New York State and is not entirely new to my radar. I first heard him just last year, though, as his single “Lilac In Hand” caught my attention as a retro, psychedelic folk kind of guy with a very interesting voice and Velvet Underground-esque guitars.  Last month he released this song, a cover of the great Tim Buckley and more recently, This Mortal Coil, from the 1980s.  The memorable line “did I dream, you dreamed about me” is in the first bridge and I recommend listening to all 3 versions. 

 

I will post all of them below, starting with Buckley.

 

Weekly Top 30 for February 1st

Welcome to February! We have blown right through the first month of the year have we not? Before we know it we’ll be thinking of springtime and all of the fun shows, festivals and songs that will be coming out for 2015.  Meanwhile we still have some great winter music to talk about.

This week we see Purity Ring remains atop the list with “Push Pull”.  Modest Mouse is so hot on their heels though they are almost assuredly the next #1!  Jessica Pratt and Chvrches are right behind them and songs from Panda Bear, Kacy Hill and MO are new to the Top 10.

A few songs new to the top 30 are Natalie Prass’ Jenny Lewis-esque songs “My Baby Don’t Understand Me” as well as a new song from Thom Yorke.  Also new is Springtime Carnivore, who is Greta Morgan and she has a way with her fuzzy, dreamy and very well produced pop stylings. Look out for her AND come see her at the Black Cat on February 24^th!

Next week we will probably be visited by Viet Cong, a Spoon remix and Jonny Greenwood in the Top 30.