I was in a local shop yesterday, which had a great oldies station playing over their sound system. As I perused their T-shirt selection, “Lotta Love” by Nicolette Larson came on and I was reminded of how much I’ve always loved that song. Released on October 31, 1978, the song was the lead single from ..read more

The 23s are a collaborative music project based in Sheffield, England and comprised of singer-songwriter and electronica musician Rob Cohen, singer-songwriter Rob Gurruchaga, and producer Tom Taylor. With a shared love for acts like David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Blaqk Audio, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and Thomas Dolby, the enigmatic ..read more

Some of you who read my blog or this post may wonder what my weekly Top 30 lists represent or how they’re compiled. They’re essentially lists of my favorite songs for a given week, my own personal Top 30 that I would focus on were I the program manager of my own radio station. There’s so much great music out now that I could have included 40 songs on this week’s Top 30. And all the songs in this week’s top six could easily be #1 (two of them already have). The sultry “High in Low Places” by Beach Weather remains on top for a second week, while Pearl Jam‘s gorgeous song “Wreckage” moves up a n ..read more

Today I’m pleased to introduce Olivia Miceli, a talented young singer-songwriter and producer based in Staffordshire, England. In addition to her day job as a sound engineer for radio stations BBC 5 live, Radio 4 and The World Service, the hard-working artist has released an impressive amount of music over the past four years. Beginning with the release of her debut single “Fake” in March 2021, Olivia’s since dropped numerous singles, two albums – Road Signs in 2022, and Nostalgic Heartbreak in 2023 – which she quickly followed with her EP Times that were never ours. Last month she released h ..read more

On the strength of their infectious melodies, ace musicianship, strong charisma, and lead singer Nick Santino’s beautiful vocals, pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my top favorite bands. In fact, a photo I took of them at a concert last year graces the header of my X (formerly Twitter) page. In addition to Santino, the band includes Reeve Powers on bass and Sean Silverman on guitar. I’ve loved every one of their songs, and their latest single “High In Low Places” becomes their fourth to top my weekly Top 30 chart (the previous three are “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, “Trouble With This Bed ..read more

For my latest edition of Fresh New Tracks, I’m thrilled to feature new songs by four confident, talented and lovely ladies with exquisite singing voices – Spanish and now England-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Alba, English singer-songwriter and musician A. Wake, Welsh singer-songwriter, musician and actress Caitlin Lavagna, and Malaysian singer-songwriter and visual artist Lyia Meta. I’ve previously written about A. Wake, Caitlin Lavagna and Lyia Meta, whereas Alba is new to me. ALBA – “Are you really free?” Alba is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who was born and raised in Spain ..read more

The first song I ever remember hearing by English goth rock band The Cure was “Why Can’t I Be You?”, back in 1987. Though they began releasing singles in 1978 (and albums in 1979), none of their songs made the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. until 1985, when “In Between Days” reached #99 (though a few of their earlier singles appeared on the dance charts).  Released in April 1987 as the first single from their seventh studio album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, “Why Can’t I Be You?” was played on the radio in Los Angeles, where I lived at the time, and I immediately loved it’s bombastic energy ..read more

It’s another great week for music, and Glass Animals remain on top for a second week with their beautiful song “Creatures in Heaven”. Beach Weather slide into the second spot with their smoldering summer hit “High In Low Places”, while Pearl Jam‘s “Wreckage” moves up a spot to #3. I really love this song, which has become my favorite Pearl Jam song ever. Hozier‘s “Too Sweet”, which has become the biggest hit of his career, is currently #1 on the Billboard Rock/Alternative Airplay, Alternative Airplay and AAA (Adult Alternative Airplay) charts, having spent nine consecutive weeks and counting ..read more

Hailing from the picturesque southwest England coastal town of Torquay, Devon are Pylon Poets, an alternative indie rock band comprised of brothers Dan (lead vocals, guitars & synths) and Nathan Hughes (bass, backing vocals), and Sam McIver (drums). The guys have been putting out high-energy melodic rock since 2016, with songs featuring relatable lyrics touching on such issues as pop culture, love and politics. They’ve toured extensively and have played several music festivals throughout the UK, sharing the stage with such artists as Reef, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Scouting For Girls, Republi ..read more

Cover art by Kostiantyn Borshch This past January, I introduced my readers to Ukrainian indie rock band Homeless Radio when I reviewed their terrific hard-hitting single “Submarine“. To summarize, the band formed in the city of Kharkiv in 2016, and includes Andrii Yampolskyi (vocals/guitar), Fedir Orlov (guitar), Stepan Tkachuk (bass) and Ivan Orlov (drums). Guitarist Ihor Pankieiev is also technically still a member, though he’s currently away, fighting in the terrible war against their Russian invaders. Drawing from a dynamic mix of garage rock, alternative rock, skate punk, grunge ..read more