New Music Friday Review. 23rd April. He said when it was over, She Said Don't waste your Love

 "Life of the Party" by The Veronicas feat. Allday

So I wasn't expecting this so soon after the release of the loud and raucous lead single "Godzilla" however this song is actually more Allday's than The Veronicas given The Veronicas are really only only on the chorus and one verse on a song where both The Veronicas and Allday are just out at a party trying to find somebody to make a genuine connection with even as everybody else is trying to be the 'life of the party' or the centre of attention at that party. It's decent but I'm not sure it's all that memorable. Ehh, check it out if you are curious.

Rating 6/10

"Don't Waste Your Love" by Boo Seeka feat. Golding

So this song is kind of interesting especially as it's this fizzy EDM/pop number that yeah, is rather catchy as Boo Seeka and Golding urge people not to waste their love or time but to rather enjoy the good moments in life. I love the positive message this song sells here. I don't mind it at all. Not bad! 

Rating: 7/10

"When Was It Over" by Sasha Sloan feat. Sam Hunt

Okay so I was not expecting Sam Hunt to turn up on a pop song by Sasha Sloan so this kind of turned up out of nowhere and while the song is about not being able to let go of somebody after a relationship has broken down and honestly it's a sentiment that Sasha Sloan sells well here, she sounds genuine enough over the guitar strums and then Sam Hunt shows up and if you got the feeling this would be like going over old territory for him? Well you'd be right because he sounds like the same smug jerk behind songs like "Drinking too Much" and "Body Like a Backroad"...yeah no...this song might be tolerable but it's only because of that guitar and Sasha Sloan.

Rating: 6/10 

"He Said, She Said" by CHVRCHES

So I was slow to the CHVRCHES hype train, seemed like everyone was going nuts about them a few years ago after they released "Every Open Eye", an album that is loved by critics but I missed it and only managed to hear them when they released the lead single "Get Out" for the 2018 album "Love Is Dead" and I still don't quite understand the fuss, yeah the band have good hooks but production was an issue quite honestly it remains an issue with the new single for the band's fourth album because my god the production here is off with that awful sounding guitar that sounds like it comes off a bad Sonic game from 1992, it's just not been mixed properly. I get wanting to do the 80s sound but this is the 80s sound done badly.

Rating 4/10

Good 1992 Vibrations. April 26th: Take It from Me, L.O.V.E, Nothing Else Matters 2 Night

 Let's not muck around this week and get stuck into the top ten where to nobody's surprise, "Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers remains at number one for a second week, its got a decent sized sales margin over "Way Out West" by James Blundell and James Reyne which climbed one place to number two and "Get Ready for this" by 2 Unlimited which rose one to number three.

Granted the reason for the above gains is because "Marvellous" by The 12th Man feat. MCG Hammer slipped two places to number four as the momentum for this song is starting to fade away.

The momentum for "Stay" by Shakespears Sister isn't fading though, it's up two places to number five this week...unfortunately. Also not going away is "To Be With You" by Mr Big up three places to number six because we need cornball garbage in the top ten right now (sarcasm fully intended).

All of that saw "Not a Day Goes" by Rick Price down two places to number seven while "Let's get Rocked" by Def Leppard slipped two places to number eight.

We have two songs joining the top ten this week and its a bit of a mixed bag because on the one hand there's the garbage that is Teen Queen's cover of "Be My Baby" up three places to number nine for some reason but on the other "Alive" by Pearl Jam finally reached the top ten climbing one place to number ten which is awesome because yeah I still like that song.

Gains

So let's begin with the songs that debuted last week and gained this week and unfortunately one of them is the audio torture that is "James Brown is Dead" by L.A. Style which climbed from 34 to 18 this week. In better news "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming) by Yothu Yindi jumpe from 41 to 20 this week which is nice to see!.

Even better "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice rose from 38 to 22. Again, I like the song so am happy to see it climbing.

"Diamnds & Peatls" by Prince and The New Power Generation rebounded from 36 to 25 for some reason while "Baby Love" by Dannii Minogue jumped from 33 to 26. 

"Help Yourself" by Julian Lennon got a thirteen place gain to 30...I am still indifferent on this song and I'm not completely sure as to why. 

Losers

Wow....it was a busy week here so let's start with the songs that are fizzing out before their time like "Stars" down eight places to number 50, "Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man"  by Concrete Blonde down ten to 49 (In the case of the former, I am disappointed, in the case of the latter...I'm fine with it...the song isn't good), "Human Touch" by Bruce Springsteen unfortunately continues to fade, this week down eleven to 37 and "Feels So High" by Des'ree down from 29 to 35.

"Give Me Just A little More Time" by Kylie Minogue took an eight place hit down from 24 to 32 this week.

Then we have a slew of hits taking losses this week like "Rocket Man (I think it's going to be a Long Long Time)" by Kate Bush which plunged from 28 to 46, "Pride (In the Name of Love" by Clivilles & Cole down fifteen spots to 45 and "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF down eight to 43, "Love You Right" by Euphoria slumping from 25 to 40,  "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana skittled from 27 to 39, "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon pummelled down from 18 to 38 and "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses" down six to 27. 

New Entries

Six new entries this week, half of them being Australian. We starting off with....

47. "Sometimes (Live)" by Midnight Oil

Well this feels kind of odd, the live version of a song from Midnight Oil's 1987 album "Diesel & Dust" hitting the chart however this is a live recording of the song from the compilation album "Scream in Blue" and what I will say about this is that it's a bit frustrating again because it feels like Peter Garrett is is buried underneath the bevy of guitars and drums, don't get me wrong the instrumentation sounds good here but the mixing is just off. Also is there that need to drum the word 'sometimes' into our heads so much. Ehh, sorry but this isn't Midnight Oil's best...I'm skipping this. 

42. "That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks & Deni Hines

Now this is more like it. The Rockmelons bringing their pop/reggae sound and team up with Deni Hines again with Cutty and Nardo Ranks bringing the hype which does feel unnecessary to a degree as the song is pretty darn catchy enough with just the Rockmelons and Deni Hines on it and yeah the lyrics are a pretty standard set about a universal theme but you know what, this has hit written all over it, its catchy, breezy and honestly perfect for a summer at the beach hence I'm surprised it's only just debuting in mid autumn. I like this. Check it out!

41. "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend

Okay, so this is a brand new five member all girl group, it's members being Robyn Loau, Melanie Alexander, Siobhann Heidenreich, Lorinda Noble and Jacqueline Cowell, the band formed in 1991 with this song being the group's debut with mostly Loau and Alexander sharing the solo vocals, Loau singing the verses with Alexander in on the bridge and for me, its Loau's vocal delivery that better matches the almost new jack swing vibe of the song where the girls are begging their man to take their word that they'll be good to him. It's a cute pop dance song, check it out if you are curious.

33. "Sound" by James

This song is the first single from James fourth studio album "Seven" yet why does this remind me of U2? That instrumentation really does give me U2 knock off vibes and those vocals on the verses are creepy and that wailing post the hook is nonsense and pretty headache inducing. In short this is artsy wank and effectively meaningless rubbish...skip it.

29. "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica

Metallica return to the ARIA charts with this being the third single from their self titled debut album, and yeah I got chills, for one thing the production on this song is OUTSTANDING, it starts off with this low guitar and slowly brings in more orchestral elements  before James Hetfield starts singing about how he is on tour being away from home and everyone he loves and missing those people, being home with those people is the thing that matters for him, this power ballad hits pretty god damn hard. It's been a damn good year for rock so far and Metallica just added to it with this. Definitely give this a listen!

28. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" by Prince & The New Power Generation

Well here's the latest single from "Diamonds & Pearls" and...well...it's better than "Cream" and the title track, for one thing there's a groove with the guitars and Prince having a better presence on the song as the lyrics shame the greedy and the focus on the material things (something on reflection has gotten increasingly worse in the 2020s) and slamming the rushing off to war by politicians post the first gulf war the previous year/ I like this, certainly the best of the singles so far.

However "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica is nabbing best of the week with "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend and "That Word (L.O,V.E)" by The Rockmelons, Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines tying for honourable mention.

Worst of the week fall out easily that being "Sound" by James for just being intolerable artsy wank.

ARIA Top 50 Singles Top Ten/Chart Review: 26th April. Montero's Calling by Your Name at Number One

So in a week with absolutely no new entries, this week's chart update could be one of the shortest yet but the thing is we did see three re entries but the big news this lies in our top ten with our new number one and as expected it's "Montero (Call Me by Your Name" by Lil Nas X rising to top spot on the basis of strength on sales and some streaming particularly on Spotify, it was just enough of an edge to push "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon down to number two but this could get back to number one, its certainly still pretty consistent on streaming.

This places "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals down to number three in a vulnerable position because streaming isn't going to hold it up much longer however it held up enough over "Rapstar" by Polo G which remained at number four, it's got some steady streaming but that's about it.

The same can be said for 'Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf at number five, it's got decent streaming and some sales but it's an open question as to whether it can push any higher.

Olivia Rodrigo's "Deja Vu" spends it's first week inside the top ten up five places to number six this week, it's got solid streaming but that's going to need to continue improving if it's going to climb higher.

However it did enough to push "The Business" by Tiesto down one spot to number seven as it's started to finally bleed on streaming...thank goodness...this song has started to piss me off lately.

Hit in the making, "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA climbed two places to number eight and if there was a song in the top ten right now to make a run at the top of the chart, it's this one, it seems to be a song that everyone likes and it's showing on streaming. Need sales to get on board and we might have a monster hit on our hands.

Down one spot to number nine is "Cover Me in Sunshine" by Pink and Willow Sage Hart, it's still a behemoth on sales but it's started to flag a little on streaming.

Finally "Without You" by The Kid Laroi is down three places to number ten but this could get a boost as there's a remix with Miley Cyrus coming so we'll have to see.

Gains

So outside of the top ten, "BED" by Joel Corry feat RAYE and David Guetta climbed 18 places off it's chart debut last week while Corry's big hit "Head & Heart" feat. MNEK rebounded four places to number 24.

Saweetie's "Best Friend" feat. Doja Cat got a five place boost to number 42 while "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne continued it's upwards momentum by rising four to 28 (WHY?)

Re Entries

So there were three re entries this week headlined by the return of "Martin & Gina" by Polo G (this might finally have some streaming traction...we can hope) at number 46. 

Also back is "What Other People Say" by Sam Fischer & Demi Lovato at number 47 and "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa at number 50.

Losers

There was one big loser this week with "Mr Perfectly Fine (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift down 14 to 33 but apart from that there's not too many other notable losers this week, 

Drop Outs

Gone are "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" and "Forever & Always (Taylor's Version)" both from Taylor Swift, they took "Anywhere Away from here" by Rag 'n' Bone Man & Pink with them.

New Entries

There's no new entries on the ARIA singles chart this week and there's nothing of note on the charts around the world so might wrap up the week here. Next week is really who knows at this point because again it was a quiet week for new releases, we might get an Aurora song on the chart thanks to a sudden streaming push but we'll find out on Friday at 5pm. 

New Music Friday Review. 16th April. Sabotage of Shots in Dark Low Key Love Country Again

 "Country Again" by Thomas Rhett

So am I the only one confused here with what is happening with Thomas Rhett's "Country Again (Side A)" album roll out? He released "What's Your Country Song?", a  song that is much closer to the tropes of bro country that we're used to coming from Thomas Rhett but then he released two songs called "Want It Again" and "Growing Up" both leaning toward the more neo traditional country sound and I am pleased to say that "Growing Up" grew on me fair bit so what's the deal with the latest single "Country Again"

Uh...turns out its great! Yeah it amps up the warm spun neo traditional sound with guitars and even a fiddle as Rhett sings about spending less time in Nashville and Los Angeles and more time out fishing and hunting even cranking up Eric Church (given Eric's new album I can't say I can blame Thomas Rhett for cranking up 'Heart' to loud levels!) and basically that feeling of being home in the country. I'm not sure it's better than "Marry Me" but this coming from Thomas Rhett is still really darn good. Check this out.

Rating: 9/10

"Low Key in Love" by The Struts feat. Paris Jackson

So this was a collaboration that made no sense before listening to the song and after hearing the song made all the sense in the world. UK glam rock pop act The Struts, much like Greta Van Fleet, kind of border on pandering toward the past of rock music a fair bit even The Struts don't seep into the cringey Led Zeppelin worship of Greta Van Fleet and teaming up with the daughter of Michael Jackson, Paris, who is coming off releasing her own debut album last year so yeah I was a bit curious for this, did it deliver?

Well yes and no, it's not on the same level as the stomper of a song that was "Body Talks" with Kesha that should have been a massive hit a few years ago but its infused with similar funk and soul rock vibes, The Struts and Paris Jackson do have some chemistry but Paris is still finding her range and where she's most comfortable, she's not nearly as confident a presence behind the mic however the song is fine but I'm not sure that its as strong as it could have been.

Rating: 7/10

"Shots in the Dark" by Iann Dior feat. Trippie Redd

Okay...I'm conflicted on this one. I love the rock sound that's here but there's no way both Iann Dior and Trippie Redd sound good here but I cannot avoid the feeling that Dior is trying way too hard to scrounge a hit using the same formula as "Mood"///I think I like the sound of this and it just hasn't been executed quite right.

Rating: 5/10

"Sabotage" by Bebe Rexha

Well this is better...I guess...the song takes a little bit to get going but the piano sounds nice here but Bebe Rexha's vocals are just no...they leave me in the mind of singing so high that she's trying to get the constipated cows in a farmyard to pee and for a song about the frustration that comes from the self sabotaging of a relationship and a lot else in her life. This doesn't quite work for me.

Rating: 6/10

 

Good 1992 Vibrations. 19th April. America, Help Yourself to get Skin to Skin

 Well this week was a busy one in more ways than one, we got a heap of new entries which we will get to but we also got plenty of movement in our top ten so let's start there because the big story is that we have a new number one with "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers taking the number one spot and yeah, this is great news, it dominated sales this week to move past "Marvellous" by The 12th Man feat MCG Hammer which slipped back to number two this week and it could be coming under some pressure.

That pressure coming from "Way Out West" by James Blundell and James Reyne up one spot to number three following a surprisingly impressive sales week. 

All this helped knock "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited down two places to number four and its now under pressure from "Not a Day Goes By" by Rick Price which rocketed up five places to number five.

Up one place to number six is "Lets Get Rocked" by Def Leppard, it's looking pretty comfortsble in the top ten right now.

Meanwhile joining the top ten for the first time is "Stay" by Shakespears Sister which climbed four places to number seven because we need sludge like this in the top ten...yay...I guess.

Down three places to number eight is "Dizzy" by Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff. This song has secured it's place on the year end and is fading naturally so yeah I am fine with it leaving the top ten,

Mr. Big also get their first week in the top ten because unbelievably the corniest song to ever become a hit "To Be With You" climbed eleven places to number nine. How the fuck does nobody else see the cringe with this song?

Finally U2's "One look looks to be on the way out down two places to number ten.

Gains

So I already talked about the big gain for Mr Big in the top ten but there were some other notable gains like somehow Teen Queens incredibly lame cover of "Be My Baby" jumped off its debut at 30 all the way up to number 12...WHY?

In more pleasing news "Why' by Annie Lennox got a ten place gain to 22 while "Give Me Just A Little More Time" by Kylie Minogue got a big boost off it's number 40 debut to 24. 

"Insanity" by Oceanic up eight to 31 while "Baby Love" by Dannii Minogue climbed from 38 to 33 (actually cool with this gain...the cover is fine)

The gain I am pleased about is "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice up from 44 to 38. Good, that song is still adorable.

Losers

So the hits again took the biggest hits this week with "The Globe" by Big Audio Dynamite II down from 36 to 50 as it's lifespan on the chart seems destined to reach its end. "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF tumbling from 22 to 35, "Come As You Are" by Nirvana come down from 32 to 26 as they are, "Rocket Man (I Think it's Going to be a Long Long Time)" by Kate Bush dropped seven places to 28 while "Human Touch" by Bruce Springsteen unfortunately suffered from lack of touch down eight to 26. 

Former chart topper "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon dropped out of the top ten at number six all the way to 18. (More on Julian Lennon soon in the new entries) while "HIgh" by The Cure got taken down pegs from nine to 14

The same can mercifully be said for "Don't Talk Just Kiss" by Right Said Fred which slipped twelve places to 45, thank goodness. Nor am I complaining that "Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man" by Concrete Blonde stumbled from 31 to 39.

New Entries

We have a rather eclectic set of new arrivals this week starting with: 

49. "America: What Time is Love?" by The KLF

Ahh...the follow up single to the still pretty great "Justified & Ancient" and this one is considering complicated to explain, it's had many reworkings before this version was released in the UK in February and it hit the charts this week in Australia but that complexity makes this song interesting and you can definitely hear the anti war sentiment here (especially barely a year after the Gulf War in the Middle East) and it leaping from classical to dance techno almost rock is wild enough that it actually works well, the transitions between the sounds are impressive here. Check it out and if you want to read about the history of the song than here's the wikipedia link: "America: What Time is Love" by The KLF. I highly recommend checking out the song!

43. "Help Yourself" by Julian Lennon

Here's another follow up to a highly successful single, this time from Julian Lennon and given how much I like "Saltwater", I was kind of holding some expectations for this one and look...I'm kind of disappointed? The song isn't bad per se but it just sounds so formulaic in terms of what has been the dominant sound in pop in the late 80s to early 90s. Granted the guitars here do sound good here, I just wish Lennon was a little further forward in the mix especially given the song is about encouraging people to actually stop expecting everyone else to help them but to help themselves...ehh, I don't know...I can see this growing on me but as it is...it could have been better.

41/ "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)" by Yothu Yindi

I have always wanted to have a chance to write about Yothu Yindi at some point especially given the group's impact on Australian culture and "Treaty" being one of those songs I respect the hell out of (that song is AMAZING) so I was curious for this and yeah, this is excellent...blending modern pop music with Aboriginal music for a song that calls out Australians for not being fair to Aboriginal people over the land and yeah that hook is sticky as hell. Great song...hope it does well.

34. "James Brown is Dead" by L.A Style

Oh dear. god. Dutch electronic duo L.A. Style have landed their first single on the Australian charts and while it's not the worst thing I have heard while covering 1992,...it's up there. The obnoxious dance music interspersed with rapping and the occasional voice that says "James Brown is dead" in the utmost of creepy fashions, we get it...James Brown was a legend of soul and funk yet the best you can do to pay tribute is this piece of audio nightmare fuel? Yeah...this is awful...I don't want to ever have to hear this piece of crap again.

19. "Skin to Skin" by Melissa

Well okay, it can only go up from here in spite of my reservations about Melissa and her music (No one can really convince me that "Read My Lips" is not cringey songwriting...come on..."if you want to wait til later, get your hands off my detonator"? Describing your vagina has something set to explode is definite cringe if you ask me) but anyway here's her new single that's the highest new entry of the week and well..its definitely a Melissa song with that beat reminiscent of her previous hits but again that song writing that relies way to much on cliches "love not war", "lay down your arms" etc. It's got the feel of a song that'd do well at Rock Estefodds not the pop charts. It's not precisely bad but it's not something I'd come back to.

That ends our week and wow...we're low on best contenders, I'm giving the best of the week to Yothu Yindi for "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)" just ahead of "America: What Time Is Love)" by The KLF...it was close there.

However there was no competition for worst of the week because that's going to "James Brown is Dead" by L.A Style. A song that is nothing but a squealing thumping headache. 

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review. 19th April. Kiss Me Anywhere Away from Here, Mr Perfectly Fine

 So we had a pretty considerable week here but really not in the ways I expected, sure we have some Taylor Swift here thanks to the release of the rerecorded "Fearless" album but I'd argue Taylor is one of a couple of stories this week that begin with our top ten but nothing changed at the very top where "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon maintained the top spot but wow, its dicey at best for a third week, its margins on streaming have shrunk and it's sales aren't what they were. 

Which brings us to "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X up one to number two as it made ground on streaming and looks the likely candidate to take the number one spot in the weeks ahead (worth remembering that Australia has mostly been shielded from the controversy over the song's video but it now leads on Spotify and has better sales than "Peaches".

It pushed back "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals to number three as it's started to bleed on both sales and streaming and it could come under some pressure from our first of two new entries in the top ten "Rapstar" by Polo G, now I'll talk about this song later, however it seems like Tik Tok promo is what propelled this song up on streaming which meant this high debut, right now it's hard to tell if this is going to hang around or be another "Calling My Phone" (Remember how that was a thing the top ten for awhile there).

As a result of the high debut for "Rapstar' everything else got pushed back with "Astronaut in the Ocean" down one place to number five, 

Tiesto's "The Business" down one to number six (I'm not going to complain this song leaving the top ten...I still don't like it), "Without You" by The Kid Laroi down one to number seven and "Cover Me In Sunshine" by Pink and Sage Willow Hart down one to number eight (Again, it really does need streaming to get behind this song)

"Drivers License"  by Olivia Rodrigo fell one spot to number nine, it's falling away naturally now as streams slow down.

The second new entry in our top ten is at number ten courtesy of "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA. again more on this song later, it's here because of solid streaming, sales are decent and I can see this song picking up further traction in the weeks ahead.

Gains

The one major gain this week was unfortunately "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne which somehow rose fifteen places to 32 this week...not a good sign. 

Re Entries

So this where Taylor Swift's impact kicks in with the release of the rerecorded "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" causing "Love Story (Taylor's Version) to return at 36. 

Losers

Nearly all the big losses came for the established hits like "Holy" by Justin Bieber feat. Chance The Rapper which slipped nine places to 39, "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac down seven to 34, "Good Days" by SZA down seven to 40, "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles down six to 41, "WAP" by Cardi B and Meghan The Stallion slipped six to 46, "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I slowed down six to 49 and "Lemonade" by Internet Money and Gunna feat. Don Toliver and NAV stumbled down six to 50.

Then there's two would be hits that took losses this week, I am pleased to say "Bang" by AJR whimpered down seven to 44 while "Paradise" by Meduza feat. Dermot Kennedy slipped six places to number 38.

Drop Outs

So seven songs exited the chart this week with likely locks for year end list "Booster Seat" by Spacey Jane and "Positions" by Ariana Grande taking their exits.taking with them 2020 hits like "Rockstar" by Dababy feat. Roddy Ricch and "What You Know Bout Love" by Pop Smoke

Then there's songs like "Last Lover" by Sigala and James Arthur and "Telepatia" by Kali Uchis that have an extreme outside shot at making the year end. "Telepatia" would have to get extremely lucky to make the year end. unfortunately. 

Finally there's "What Other People Say" by Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato which took its exit this week.

New Entries.

Six new entries this week so let's get started with...

48. BED by Joel Corry, RAYE, David Guetta

So I've already covered and liked this song when I wrote about it briefly in New Music Friday Review, the song is good, its catchy and RAYE seems to work well over a Joel Corry beat and even if David Guetta seems superfluious to this song, I'd still take this because of how the production works in creating a mood, open question is whether or not it will stick around, I kind of hope it does but I don't see this having the instant hit capabilities of Joel Corry's predecessor. 

45. Forever & Always (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

So I have listened to all of "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" and this song was one of the best on the album, mostly because it almost pushes into country pop rock which honestly hits a sweet spot for me  it's a song allegedly all about Joe Jonas and about the breakdown of their relationship and watching a person within that relationship fade despite having promised to love the other person forever (which is impossible by the way given how people change). The production here is much less cluttered, I like this..check it out.

43. Anywhere Away from Here by Rag 'n' Bone Man feat. Pink

I have been hearing about this collab for awhile and given my renewed interest in Rag 'n' Bone Man given "All You Ever Wanted" is one of my favourite songs of the year thus far and Pink's song with her daughter is one of my favourite hits of the year...how did this turn out?

Turns out this is a gentle piano ballad about escaping from uncomfortable or anxiety inducing situations and my god, this song does speak to me, I have anxiety and there is nothing worse for me than being in a situation I'd rather not be in, you just want to be anywhere else or preferably have the floor swallow you up whole, a feeling this song captures pretty damn well. I do wish that Rag 'n' Bone Man and Pink had more vocal chemistry but otherwise this song is really good. Check it out if you are curious.

19. Mr Perfectly Fine (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

The more I've heard the from the vault songs from the recorded "Fearless", the more I've come to realize that Taylor might well have been better off either putting them on a separate album rather then tacking them onto a separate album and in this case I think she might have been better off leaving it off completely because "Mr Perfectly Fine" kind of paints this guy as a bit of a caricature as Taylor seems to have the unfortunate habit of doing and with the jerky pacing of the song as a whole...yeah...I was perfectly fine without hearing this.

10. "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA

I feel like there's a disconnect for me with this song and the praise this song has received from so many people because yeah...the production here is good with the guitars etc and Doja Cat sounds good in her softer silkier R'n'B measure, the opening into the hook is pretty damn good with the harmonies from Doja Cat and SZA but then Doja goes into her rap delivery and it comes off sounding harsh as hell and takes me right out of the song...it might just be me who can't handle that rougher rap register so while the song is definitely not bad and I can see why people like it, its not for me.

4. Rapstar by Polo G

Not going to lie, I am disappointed "Martin & Gina" didn't catch on the way it should have however if there's an act in hip hop that I am happy to watch have success, it's Polo G, mainly because he seems to put effort and energy into his bars and shows more variety than the usual hip hop subject matter these days, granted "Rapstar" shows Polo G battling the ups and downs that come with fame and being exhausted and weary. There's also bars about his sexual prowess and the money he is making from being a hit rapper in the first verse before switching it up to talk about the more violent side where there's homicides etc. It's a dark and bleak song that I'm happy charted so high. Check this out.

However best of the week is going to "Anywhere Away from Here" by Rag 'n' Bone Man feat. Pink, the song just connected for me and hit a certain spot that I can't really go into here.

Worst of the week...honestly, I was half inclined to scrap worst of the week because really it's not a bad week at all but I think the song I took most issue with is "Mr Perfectly Fine (Taylor's Version)" mostly because yeah, Taylor's writing in those days painted guys as cartoon characters.

Next week, I'm not sure, most likely a cooldown week, we might get that DJ Regard collab with Troye Sivan and Tate McRae but beyond that? We'll see when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm

New Music Friday Review: 9th March. You Ain't Getting Syrup so Shy Away

 "Shy Away" by Twenty One Pilots

So here we have the lead single from the upcoming album called "Scaled & Icy" (Apparently an anagram of "Clancy is Dead" according to Twenty One Pilots fans) and no surprise, I actually really like this mostly because this sounds like a more current version of what early 80s new wave would sound like, it calls to mind Adam & the Ants amongst others from the 80s. The song is based a on conversation Tyler Joseph had with his younger brother about the creative process and encouraging him to pursue his music dreams.

I'm doubtful about this song being a hit in Australia but I'd love to see it because this is pretty damn good.

Rating: 8/10

"You Ain't Getting A Song' by Taylor Moss

Taylor Moss is a pop country artist hailing from southern NSW, she made her recording debut at 15 and was a finalist in the Country Star Maker competition in 2016. This has all the feel of Sara Bareilles hit "Love Song" just written differently and in pop country version where this ex is asking Taylor to write a song but Taylor says "Whoa dude, don't flatter yourself here, you ain't getting a song". I just wish it felt a little less formulaic and its kind of a shame because the production here feels a lot less synthetic and more country than what is commonly the standard for pop country in this vain.

Rating: 6/10

"Syrup" by Tkay Maidza

Well after covering Iggy Azalea last week, hearing new Tkay Maidza feels like a world away from "Sip It" or whatever that shit was from Iggy last week especially when Tkay Maidza's flow just kills it and allows her to get weird in her verses over a slightly off kilter beat. I kind of enjoyed this more than I expected...also isn't it about time Tkay had a hit? I wouldn't mind if it was this song...it bangs.

Rating: 8/10

"Starstruck" by Years & Years

Okay so Years & Years is now just Olly Alexander by himself with this song being the first single and you know? This is really quite the fun pop song where Alexander sings about finding "the one' person that gets you all starstruck and you are really into them all set to this really solid pop groove that wouldn't look out of place on that last Dua Lipa album so yeah, I'm keen for a new Years & Years album if this is the first course.

Rating: 9/10

Good 1992 Vibrations: 12th March. Give Me A Little More Time to Love Your Smile, Baby

 This week was a week of major upheaval in our top ten and our number one while not unseated may not be safe...folks, this week was a busy one in more ways than one so let's get started with the somewhat boring part that being it's another week at number one for "Marvellous" by The 12th Man feat. MCG Hammer but it's facing challengers from everywhere.

Let's start with "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited got a four place bounce up to number two as this song is becoming a hype anthem for a lot of sports which yeah it does fit the song. Good sales too but not enough to see it take the number one just yet.

However 2 Unlimited aren't the only players because the Red Hot Chili Peppers have leapt from eleven to number three this week and look a serious chance of taking number one in the weeks ahead as does "Way Out West" by James Blundell and James Reyne which climbed six to number four this week...honestly the top ten is actually lo0king mostly awesome this week. 

All of this pushed "Dizzy" by Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff down two to number five and former number one "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon down four to number six as both songs are likely on the way out.

Def Leppard's "Let's Get Rocked"  is stuck at number seven while U2's ballad "One" skidded down four to number eight as the momentum for it crashed and burned taking "High" by The Cure which plummeted four places off it's debut last week to number nine. 

Finally reaching the top ten is "Not a Day Goes by" by Rick Price which rose three places to number ten this week which is great to see as I still like that song.

Gains

Oof...let's start with "Stay" by Shakespears Sister which rose nine places to number 11 eleven this week, this looks set for a run in the top ten unfortunately and the corny "To Be With You" by Mr Big rose from off its debut last week at 32 to 20...folks, can we just not with both of these, please?

Oh, it gets worse because "Goodnight Girl" by Wet Wet Wet jumped from 50 to 23 in one of the biggest moves of the week...joy.

I don't really care either way that Salt 'n'  Pepa's "You Showed Me" climbed twelve places to 24, that song has gotten increasing meh for me

In better news, "Alive" by Pearl Jam rose five spots to number 13 and "Why" by Annie Lennox jumped from 45 to 32 this week. Good to see Aussies not completely junking good taste! Glad also to see that "Stars" by Simply Red jumped from 44 to 37 as well which also great.

Losers

All the big losers are hits that are on the way out like "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" by George Michael and Elton John which plummeted from 35 to 50 this week, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" which slipped from 38 to 46, "Finally" by CeCe Peniston collapsed from 29 to 43, Big Audio Dynamite II's "The Globe" spun down from 24 to 36, "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt 'n' Pepa generated a little less conversation as it shuddered down from 22 to 34, "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to be a Long Long Time)" to seven steps toward a return to earth by falling to 21 and Diesel's "Tip of My Tongue" got tongue tied down from 8 to 16.

Also on the way out are two non starters that being "Foreplay (EP)" by Candy Harlots down nine places to 43 and sadly, "It's Only Natural" by Crowded House down eight to 48. 

New Entries

Three new entries this week, all of them from women so let's begin with...

44. "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice

So this song is the lead single for Shanice's second album but oddly enough this is the first song of hers to hit the ARIA charts and it possibly might be the most happy and adorable song to hit the Australian charts in awhile with Shanice singing about how much she loves this person's smile and how much the love this guy gives rocks her world over warm percussion and saxophone. What is also important is that Shanice is able to sell that she is genuinely in love with this guy's smile and wants to show him that she can do better for him. Yeah, this song is cute, I like it. Check it out if you are curious.

40. "Give Me Just a Little More Time" by Kylie Minogue

So this is the first of two cover songs to hit the chart this week, this one from Kylie Minogue being a cover of a song originally by Chairman of the Board which was released in 1970, it didn't chart in Australia but peaked at number 3 in the USA. Now I have to be honest here, not a huge fan of the original...feels like the music is being recorded at a low volume in one room with the lead vocals in another room, it sounds weird. 

Kylie's cover is honestly what you'd expect from a Stock Aitken and Waterman produced song, the grooves are obvious and Kylie is giving the song some energy, the production tries hard enough to strike the right balance between soul and the more modern pop sound that Kylie's fans are used to...check it out if you are curious.

30. "Be My Baby' by Teen Queens

Teen Queens are an Australian all girl trio formed as part of a planned TV show about a girl group in the 1960s...the show never got off the ground but this group are on the charts now with a cover of The Ronettes 1963 hit "Be My Baby" and oh dear god, there's no excusing this...for one thing this cover strips out the guitar for more electronic elements and while I won't say the vocal production on The Ronettes original, why do the members of Teen Queens reduce themselves to sounding like chipmunks on the chorus? They sound like whining little girls upset that their crush is ignoring them!. Also the lack of passion on the hook doesn't convince me that these girls need this guy at all.

Yeah. Yuck. Didn't need this cover. It's easily the worst of the week. 

However the best is also easy, it's going to "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice...that song just brought a smile to my face. Would love to see it become a hit. 

ARIA Singles Chart Top Ten/Chart Review: 12th March. Deja Vu while Life is Peaches at number one

 We got a rather interesting week especially as we might well have contests for the number one over the next few weeks and this week probably going to look insignificant with Taylor Swift album bomb set to sweep away most of what happened on the chart this week which is kind of a shame as this week was interesting as the big story was that we got a brand new number one...that's right..."Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon took the number one spot, it's Bieber's fourth number one in Australia and both Daniel Caesar and Giveon's first...it got there basically because it ruled streaming and continues to do so. 

This pushed "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals back to number two, this might fall off pretty as it bled on streaming and it's getting passed. 

The biggest gainer on the chart this week belongs to (as expected) "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X which jumped 13 places to number three. This song is the current biggest threat to the number one on the chart right now, it's got streaming on board and digital sales is getting there.

Also with some momentum is "Astronaut In the Ocean" by Masked Wolf which climbed one spot to number thanks to streaming, this was enough to push it past "The Business" by Tiesto (I'm thoroughly sick of this song at this point) which slipped one to number five. 

Fading naturally down three to number six is "Without You" by The Kid Laroi as its streaming took hits this week...good...shame it's safe for the year end though.

Remaining steady at number seven is "Cover Me in Sunshine" by Pink and Sage Willow Hart. Sales are still great but that streaming is starting to look shaky...

Also fading naturally is "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo down two to number eight. We've got more Olivia Rodrigo to discuss in the new entries but yeah "Drivers License" is slowly but surely making its way of the top ten.

What I wish was making it's way out of the top ten but is sticking around like a really disgusting case of genital herpes is "Goosebumps (Remix)" by HVME feat. Travis Scott at number nine, the sooner we can get this scab of atonal drone out of the top ten the better.

Justin Bieber is the chart bookend because he starts and completes the top ten as "Hold On" fell two places to number ten.

Gains

So apart from "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X having the biggest gain of the week into the top ten, what else gained? Truth be told...not much. "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac shows no sign of exiting the chart up eight places to number 27 even as the viral meme is pretty much dead at this point. 

Rising five places off the album boost to 39 is "What Other People say" by Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato.

Re Entries

Two returns this week with "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I back at 43 and "Rockstar" by DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch at 48. Don't get me wrong, I still like both songs but it's time for both to be moved on from the chart.

Losers

"Love Songs Ain't For us" by Amy Shark and Keith Urban continues to have no real traction as it tumbled five places to number 38. Lil Tjay & 6Lack's "Calling My Phone' also dropped five pplaces to number 16.

Other than that most of the losses were around the 1 to 3 places this week as the chart continued to reset after the Bieber bomb

Drop outs

Gone are Bieber album tracks "As I Am" feat Khalid and "Unstable" feat. The Kid Laroi (No complaints here taking "Whoopty" by CJ with them as an added bonus.

"You All Over Me (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift feat. Maren Morris also dropped out but that is likely to return next week when Taylor Swift likely bombs the chart.

New Entries

Just two new entries this week so let's get moving and begin with:

47. "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne

Okay so Russ Millions is a British rapper who is otherwise known as Russ who had a late 2018 top ten hit in the UK with "Gun Lean" which become the first track with the drill sound (it's getting popular in modern hip hop) to reach the top ten there. His partner on this track, Tion Wayne is also a British rapper. This song being the first song to hit the ARIA singles chart for both and well...yeah...this does nothing for me especially when there's no obvious melody to this song and the hook suggests "English girl named Fiona" and "African girl named Adeola" have "bodies shaped like Cola"...what the hell does that even mean?

That's even before Russ Millions references staying high like Jeff Hardy and Tion Wayne declares that when he sees a woman's butt he says "What the fuck"...I am pretty sure butts aren't exclusive to women, Tion.

I am not impressed with this at all. Next!

13. "Deja Vu" by Olivia Rodrigo.

So since this song was released I have heard every comparison to Lorde and Taylor Swift I thought was not even humanly possible so I am going to spend my time avoiding those comparisons because Olivia Rodrigo's music deserves to be talked about on it's own merits rather than being compared to that of Lorde or Taylor Swift and also because "Deja Vu" is a good pop song, no it's not better than "Drivers License", this song doesn't quite have the memorable lines like "Drivers License" does but what "Deja Vu" does well is build on the narrative of it's predecessor and Olivia asking the questions of what her ex is feeling when he is with the other girl. 

The drums could have been dialled back at bit, they do sound way too loud in the mix but hey, I'll take this overall..it's easily the best of the week.

Yeah, "Body" is getting the worst...if that's an example of drill...just yikes,

Next week could be busy, a Taylor Swift album bomb, a new singles from Doja Cat collaborating with SZA and more. We'll find out when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm 

New Music Friday Review: 2nd April. We Never Have Sex in Limbo on April Nights Anymore

 "We Never Have Sex Anymore" by The Offspring

So this is the second single from the band's upcoming tenth studio album "Let the Bad Times Roll" and I have to be honest here, I don't know if this song was intended to be funny or what the purpose of writing it was, it's this jaunty song with horns and all where Dexter complains that he and his partner never have sex anymore or has he describes it a "roll around on the floor" and then "If you won’t violate me, well will you just at least aggravate me?"...the song is The Offspring trying to be funny with a song for old people trying stuff their soft marshmallows into the piggy banks and it just comes out sounding all sorts of wrong...I'll stick to "Why Don't You Get a Job" for Offspring brand comedy.

Rating: 3/10 

"Sip It" by Iggy Azalea feat. Tyga

So I don't think anyone other than Iggy Azalea's fanbase gives a shit when she releases new music however we got this nightmare that really only is memorable for two reasons, the first being the line in the chorus about sipping pussy like its Styrofoam (WHY would anyone sip pussy as though its a god damn Styrofoam?) and the second where Tyga announces he is going to cannonball into this girl's vagina so he either gets a run up or does very strange things to his penis... this song is just wretched in every conceivable way...avoid it.

Rating: 1/10

"Limbo" by Glades

So Aussie indie pop/rock act Glades is one of these pop/rock acts that I've been keeping an eye on, I'm not sure how close they are to a breakthrough on the ARIA charts but this song from the upcoming album called "Planetarium" is pretty damn good, for one thing is plays to the momentum two people know they want something more but just not sure how to move forward to that something more. I love how instrumentation plays to and reflects the uncertainty these two people are feeling. This is good...check this out!.

Rating: 7/10

"April Nights" by Shag Rock

Brisbane based indie surf rock act that I've only just found out about and yeah, this song isn't bad, if you like a band like Ocean Alley then this band's sound would be a nice fit, granted Shag Rock are a bit more colour in their surf rock sound with the guitars and drums. There's definitely a chill vibe I really like here. Check this out if you like chill rock music.

Rating: 7/10

Good 1992 Vibrations: 5th April. Why is it a Cold Day in Hell To Be With You?

 And just like that there's chaos on the chart this week including in the top ten, we got a new number one and a whole slew of new entries but let's begin with the new big story...the brand new number one..."Marvellous" by The 12th Man feat. MCG Hammer, thanks mainly to good sales that saw it push "Saltwater" back to number two as it couldn't go with "Marvellous" in the sales battle.

That puts "Dizzy" by Vic Reeves & The Wonderstuff, stuck at number three, in an awkward place, it's not got the sales to challenge the top two but its now got challengers for it's spot below it, same goes for U2's "One" glued to the number four spot for another week...which is good news...would like to see it move up though!

New in at number five is "High" by The Cure, I'll talk more about this song later but it's got here through strong sales...the question is if it will stick around in the top ten.

Rising four places to number six is "Get Ready For This" by 2 Unlimited which has some pretty significant traction and could climb higher in the weeks ahead, it held off a second debut in the top ten this time from Def Leppard's new single called "Let's Get Rocked" which had good sales to debut so high.

All of this pushed "Tip of My Tongue" by Diesel down three places to number eight. It's likely made the year end list...kind of not surprised it's fallen back a little.

Also pushed back a bit is 'I Can't Dance" by Genesis which took a two place drop to number nine and it's going to come under threaten from one of the week's big gains because "Way Out West" by James Blundell and James Reyne has raced all the way from 28 into the top ten at number ten which is great because it's a good song.

Gains

So let's talk about what happened outside of the top ten here given one of the biggest gains of the week was the aforementioned "Way Out West" and really it was more good news because "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers continues its rise up eight places to number 11, it's headed for the top ten while "Not a Day Goes by" Rick Price climbed nine places to 13 and "Come As You Are" by Nirvana climbed from 31 to 25.

Guns 'n' Roses epic "November Rain" rose eight places to 26 which again is really good because the song is AWESOME.

Unfortunately, "Stay" by Shakespears Sister jumped ten places to 20...I just don't see the appeal of this song at all...it only gets interesting in the second half of the song and by then I've tuned out and "Insanity" by Oceanic jumped into the top 40 climbing from 45 to 39.

Losses

So unfortunately, "It's Only Natural" by Crowded House collapsed down from 40 to 25 and is in danger of not making the year end list which to me is a disaster, it's a great song and deserves to be there.

Unsurprisingly "Colored Kisses" by Martika also took a hit down from 39 to 4t6 while "Dream Alone" by Killing Tme stumbled six places to 48 taking "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Jimmy Barnes with it down six to 49. 

Then there are the hits that are falling like "Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me" by George Michael and Elton John which skidded eight places to 35 while "Don't Talk Just Kiss" by Right Said Fred took a nine place plunge to 33,, in the case of the latter...good.

"Finally" by CeCe Peniston plunged nine places to 29 because its running out of steam while the same could be said of "Foreplay (EP)" by Candy Harlots as it sputter down eight to 34. 

Prince and the New Power Generation suffered a five place drop with "Diamonds & Pearls" down five to 28...again...not surprising given Prince lacks his usual spark and energy on this song.

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" took an eleven place hit to 27, "The Globe" by Big Audio Dynamite II collapsed six places to 24 while "Lets Talk About Sex" by Salt 'n' Pepa slumped nine to 22 and "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF slid eight to 19

Former chart topper "Love You Right" by Euphoria was the big victim of all the hijinks in the top ten as it fell down ten to 16 while "Rocket Man (I Think it's Going to be a Long Long Time)" dropped six places to 14.

New Entries

Seven new entries this week...beginning with...

50. "Good Night Girl" by Wet Wet Wet

Okay, this is Wet Wet Wet's third single that was released two days before Christmas in 1991 from their fourth album and is only just now hitting the Australian singles chart (sometimes the fact they are so late in chart can make me worry about the quality of the song we're getting). Honestly? This is a pretty forgettable piano pop ballad with tasteful strings and backing vocals.

The lyrics play into this territory of this guy having a secret girlfriend who he promises her he won't tell anyone about his goodnight girl. It's not exactly anything offensive or anything but my god...it's pretty forgettable so yeah let's move on.

47. "It Ain't Heavy" by Melissa Etheridge

Oh let's wake up now with a little pop/rock from Melissa Etheridge...now believe it or not I kind of like her sound, "Bring Me Some Water" is a damn good song as is "Similar Features" so I had high hopes for this song coming from her album "Never Enough" and yeah this meets my expectations but doesn't blow me away...it's what you'd exactly expect from Melissa Etheridge...a guitar driven song where Melissa's vocals be the star of the show. 

The lyrics tell the story of a woman trying to find some peace and quiet in amongst the noise of the night in the middle of a busy city. Look, it's good and will scratch that itch for you but that's about it.

45. "Why" by Annie Lennox

So Annie Lennox is back as a solo artist with this song coming from her debut solo album "Diva" and holy shit...I don't have the words for this...the production on this song is GORGEOUS, for one thing it's enough for all the elements in the instrumentation to shine but also puts Annie Lennox's incredible vocals front and centre that give the song this stirring quality that just makes you pay attention to Annie and the lyrics which detail the moment Lennox dealing with the grief stage over the end of a relationship and is questioning why and how the relationship fell apart before the first seeds of accepting the end of the relationship come through...this is by far one of the best songs of 1992 so far. CHECK THIS OUT.

42. "Cold Day in Hell" by Gary Moore

Ahh so this is Gary Moore does the blues and look this is fairly catchy with spikes of guitar through out. I will say I like the placement of the backing vocals here and the song has a great energy about it. The guitar solo is also pretty solid as Moore is trying to warn his ex lover that they could go from being friends to enemies if the person doesn't be more careful and that there is no god damn way he'll go back to her regardless of what she tries to do. I don't mind this at all. Better than a LOT of songs I've heard so far in 1992. Check it out if you are curious.

32. "To Be With You" by Mr Big.

Oh dear god. We're really doing this? Really? A cornball song about a guy wanting this girl to be with him because this other guy is either immature or a jerk so this guy thinks he can slide right into this girl's life after the relationship with the other guy is over...I don't know...maybe she wants a break from men for a bit. The song isn't really all that offensive but it's aggressively corny and Mr Big have managed to make their first ARIA charting single sound like they are desperate and dateless.,pass.

7. "Let's Get Rocked" by Def Leppard.

Oh this is more like it and considerably more fun than the entry before it but what the hell is with the lead vocal production that is down lower than the instrumentation and the backing vocals in the mix. The rest of the song is fine, the chorus is catchy but having the lead vocals down almost so low you can barely make out what's being song feels like a mistake. A little disappointing because this could have been great.

5. "High" by The Cure"

Final new song of the week and we end it with an interesting lead single from The Cure. The song has this playful quality to it similar to the previous song I wrote about it except "High" finds an ability to be subtly playful in a different way and honestly it's a better written love song than a couple of the other new entries this week so yeah I like this a lot.

However best of the week is going to Annie Lennox for "Why" with honourable mention to "Cold Day in Hell" by Gary Moore.

"Goodnight Girl" by Wet Wet Wet nets dishonourable mention for being such an obviously wet song but worst of the week is going to the utterly corny and really useless "To Be With You" by Mr Big.

Comment: The pop music industry is not your child's defacto parent.

Controversy in popular music is nothing new, there's always a row over some new song or some meme, hell, even the introduction of rock 'n' roll back in the day was met with hand wringing and moral panic that "Satan" would devour the children and take them over to the dark side so take that same hand wringing and moral panic add in the introduction of technology and social media and bang...the issues around popular music and the consumption of popular music by children are a lot more magnified today than they were when TV was the place to see all the new music videos this much has been made clear over recent controversies around "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion and the video for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X.

Now the thing I want to stress here is that pop music has mostly NEVER been written with the thought that a seven or eight year old might listen to the song, its aimed at those with the ability to buy said song or album that being old teenagers and adults. I'ts always been up to parents to be aware of and police (when I say 'police' I mean making sure they are comfortable with the child hearing the content of the song in question). what music their children are listening to.

Honestly, the Kidz Bop albums that are released every year are the perfect example of why popular music is not designed for children, most of the songs on those compilations are generally sanitised to the point that the song may as well not be on thing at all. 

However it seems in 2021, we have a generation of parents out there who require modern day pop acts to cater to their children by writing songs and creating videos appropriate for their eight year old child to listen to or watch and instead of actually being a parent, blame the artist for writing "inappropriate" songs for their children despite the fact that pop music in the main is adults writing and performing songs for an adult audience hence the stupid "What about the children?" question that pops up every single time a female artist wants to sing or rap proudly about their sexuality or an artist giving some imaginary figure that exists only in the brains of the religious a lap dance.

The "What about the children" question is one that I think is a lazy one...what answer do you want? Popular music and the broader entertainment industry is not responsible if you are offended that your child heard a word or saw something that you feel they shouldn't have while you were on social media posting selfies on Instagram or whinging about the US election on Twitter, Lil Nas X, Cardi B, Taylor Swift and the multitude of other artists in the music industry are not your child's defacto mummies and daddies, they should not have to be held to writing sanitised music that even they wouldn't be able to connect to as adults so that its clean enough for a child to listen to.

I guess the end point is that its time to quit blaming pop culture for lazy parenting..if your eight year old is running around the house singing "Wet ass pussy...make that pull out game weak"...that's not on Cardi B...that's on you as the child's parent for allowing your child to listen to "WAP" in the first place and not having appropriate controls and rules governing the use of whatever streaming platforms your child has access to. Get off Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and actually sit down with your children and see what they are listening to and be an active Mum or Dad not the lazy parents that seem to be around

ARIA Singles Chart Top Ten/Chart Review. 5th April. Beautiful Call Me By Your Name Mistakes by Montero

 A much more interesting week at hand here...thank goodness...there's a contest brewing for the top spot and we've got four new entries including one that is likely to make a play for the top spot in the very near future but lets start with with top ten and that top spot because "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals held on to the number one for a sixth week despite losing the streaming lead, it still has some decent sales but it is now vulnerable to challengers.

That challenger being "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat Giveon and Daniel Caesar, it took the streaming lead this week and while its sales aren't as good as "Heat Waves", it is a major player for the number one spot going forward.

The same can't be said for "Without You" by The Kid Laroi as its streams are starting to bleed, it may soon only have its sales to prop it up.

The same could be said for "The Business" by Tiesto which regained ground up one place to number four thanks to a sales boost. This will get pushed back next week.

What is gaining and has momentum is "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf up two to number five, this song has streaming and again it may have it's run toward number one stalled out by what is likely to hit the top ten next week.

Down two to number six is "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo, its fading in all categories which means that new single released yesterday was perfectly timed. 

Up one to number seven is "Cover Me in Sunshine" by Pink and Willow Sage Hart as it is still doing well on streaming and is an absolute digital sales goliath which is a good thing because I still really like this song.

Down two places to number eight is "Hold On" by Justin Bieber as the album bomb recedes and people focus on "Peaches".t

Hanging steady at number nine is "Goosebumps remix" by HVME and Travis Scott mostly thanks to some streaming...I'd rather this song be gone sooner rather than later

Making its much welcome return to the top ten is "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat Dababy up one to number ten. mostly due to weaker songs below it. falling away.

Gains

So the Justin Bieber album bomb receded and a lot went up the 2 or 3 places however we did have some slightly bigger gains with "Love Songs Ain't for Us" by Amy Shark and Keith Urban climbed six places to 33...there's been a noticeable gain in traction for this song in the past week be curious to see if it sticks around...I'd be fine with that because I don't mind the song.

What I do mind is that "Bang!" by AJR also climbed six places to 37..this is showing signs of having some worrisome traction on streaming which is not good.

Also having traction on streaming helped "Friday" by Riton x Nightcrawlers (feat. Mufasa and Hyperman) leap five places to 13.

Re Entries

Just one return this week with "What You Know Bout Love" by Pop Smoke back at number 50.

Losses

All the big losers this week are mostly Justin Bieber songs that either returned or were album tracks that debuted so we'll go through these pretty quickly, "Unstable" feat. The Kid Laroi down nineteen to 41, "As I Am" feat. Khalid down 13 to 36, "Holy" feat Chance The Rapper down six to 27 and his solo single "Anyone" down six to 19.

However there's one worrying loss this week with "Leave the Door Open" by Silk Sonic down three to 17...I'm concerned about this one possibly not making the year end. It's a great song and should be the song dominating the pointy end of the ARIA singles chart right now.

Drop Outs

The expected Justin Bieber drop outs here with "2 Much", "Off My Face" and "Lonely" feat. Benny Blanco gone, it took with it "Afterglow" by Ed Sheeran, a song that did a lot better than expected given it was just loose throw away single that won't be on that next Ed Sheeran album.

The other more interesting drop out was "What's Next" by Drake...now, this would be of concern to Drake and his team ahead of the release of "Certified Lover Boy" (whenever that is) especially considering that previous Drake songs have stuck around a lot longer than "What's Next" or even "Wants & Needs" feat. Lil Baby.

New Entries

Four new entries this week with two of the four songs I have already written about in some form be it on New Music Friday Review so I am going to endeavour to keep those pretty brief so let's start with...

44. "What Other People Say" by Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato

So this song is one of the songs I have written about before so I'll keep this short by saying I have listened to the pretty good if a little long rnew Demi Lovato album and honestly I still do not like this song much at all, there's no real vocal chemistry and I find the sing songy nature of the verses kind of childish and bothersome. Next!

40. "Beautiful Mistakes" by Maroon 5 feat. Megan Thee Stallion 

This is a song I have already written about in some capacity but I will say that it really does feel like an Adam Levine solo song rather than a Maroon 5 song. It's fine for what it is and Megan is serviceable but even she sounds like she'd rather be doing other things that helping prop up a flailing band. This is pretty mediocre. Next!

34. "You All Over Me (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift feat. Maren Morris 

So the roll out continues for the re release of Taylor Swift's re recorded album "Fearless" next week with this song bringing on board pop country star Maren Morris. Now granted...Maren only serving backing vocals on the track does feel feel like a bit of a waste given Maren is a country star in the US in her own right and the production could have afforded to allow for more fiddle and pedal steel but this is still really damn good. I'm happy it's here even though I know it won't stick around. . 

16 "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X

This song is going to be top ten next week and likely number one soon after so my opinion on this song doesn't really matter much here either way. Firstly let's address the music video which sees Lil Nas X depict himself going to "hell" for being homosexual as per what Lil Nas X was told by people within the Christian faith would happen to all LGBTIQ people when they die, sliding down a stripper pole and giving "Satan" himself a lap dance...now this attracted a lot of angst and upset from right wing Christians who got their grandma butt sized knickers in granny knots or soiled them, this leads me to make two points

1. Christians wailed about children seeing the video and how its a terrible message to send to children. Here's the thing, Lil Nas X is not your children's father, he is doing his thing in making art that speaks not only to him but speaks to others who feel alienated by religion because of their sexuality. If you are letting your children watch or listen to content on the internet you don't want them hearing or watching then that is on you as a parent not Lil Nas X or any other artist in the music industry, it's not his job to write music appropriate for your ten year old sheltered brat. It's on you as a parent to control what your children watch on TV, on Youtube and the music they listen to...get off Twitter and spend some time with your children instead of expecting pop culture to baby sit, lazy parents!

2. Fairly telling that Christianity has been allowed to get away with telling people they are going to some imaginary firepit in the sky without repercussions because no sooner was a mirror held up to their behaviour, they screamed and carried on as you would expect from sheltered people who don't understand there are consequences for what you say and do.

Now that's all been said...how's the song? It's great. I love it. It's catchy and the instrumentation is just awesome with the guitars and even a bit of old Western vibe through it. Lyrically, Lil Nas X wants to get on a first name basis with his partner and quit the pretence and while it doesn't do much more than the sample that was released, its still a great song and if anyone deserves not to be a one hit wonder...it's Lil Nas X because my god, the charts need him.

As for best and worst, it was a 50/50 split, two good, two mediocre. "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" is best of the week just ahead of "You All over Me (Taylor's Version)"

For worst, I'll give that to "What Other People Say" mainly because I feel like that song could have been so much better.

Next week...Olivia Rodrigo's new song, maybe some BTS...we'll have to see when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm AEST. 

So Fresh: Hits of Autumn 2021...Rated.

 So this is an idea that came to me while I was looking around a department store when I came across the latest Sony/Universal quarterly compilation "So Fresh"...now the "So Fresh" compilation records have been around in Australia since 2000 and takes a mix of current ARIA charting hits and songs that aren't on the ARIA singles chart yet (as you'll a little later on this compilation.

So let's get stuck into this beginning with...

1. "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo

Well starting with this song makes an odd amount of sense, it's the biggest song of the year on this compilation so far. I still like this A LOT even if it's moment in time has faded quite a far bit since it was number one however the line "I still fucking love you, babe" is one hell of a memorable line and I love how the production interweaves the sounds of a car through the song. This song could be one to watch at the Grammys in the Pop Vocal category. 

Rating: 8/10

2. "Fly Away" by Tones and I

Tones and I will never top "Dance Monkey"...that song was a moment of lightning in a bottle that caught fire around the world however "Fly Alway" is still really good, she sounds less abrasive here than she does on "Dance Monkey". What I also like here is that the production allows Tones and I to sell the song with the chorus having an almost gospel element too it with the backing vocals and the handclaps, sure the breakdown is a little messy but hey, this works for me. 

Rating: 7/10

3. "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd

I remember being disappointed that this song was the next single from "After Hours" instead of "Faith" or "Scared to Live" however "Save Your Tears" has grown on me a fair bit due to still having the swell to work as an 80s inspired song, its almost like The Weeknd understands how to make 80s pop jams at this point so yeah I'll take this.

Rating: 7.5/10

4. "Without You" by The Kid Laroi

Look in short, I know Juice WRLD was this kid's mentor but does The Kid Laroi have to rip off Juice WRLD's brand of emo rock/rap so god damn hard and merge with elements of Simple Plan's brand of simplifying complexity especially when it feels like he just sounds like he is whining right through the song. I'm honestly happy that this got blocked from number one because yeah...this is not good.

Rating: 3/10

5. "Your Love (9pm)" by ATB, Topic and A7S

I am going to keep this short because my thoughts haven't changed on this song, I still don't like it and every time I've heard it, it's always felt like the elements don't match together and the vocals feel buried in the mix so yeah...let's move on.

Rating: 4/10

6. "Good Days" by SZA

Oh thank god...we're coming up for air for a great SZA song, this song has only gotten better every damn time I have heard and the fact that it's not a major smash hit this year kind of pisses me off. The production is gorgeous and SZA sounds amazing, it's the sort of chill song I need of a night time to de stress and chill out. 

Rating: 9/10

7. "Prisoner" by Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa

Kind of want to say I think they've done Miley and Dua a bit of a disservice on the compilation because I don't remember Dua's verse getting buried in the mix on the version on "Plastic Hearts" but yeah this is still a good pop/rock song and it's a bit of fun.

Rating: 7/10

8. "Skin" by Sabrina Carpenter

Oh here we go...the song that was so obviously written and released in order to cash in on the success of "Drivers License" however unlike "Drivers License", Sabrina Carpenter's vocal delivery that ranges from Ariana Grande style cooing to somewhat mumbling that's got none of the punch of Olivia Rodrigo. Eww. Skip it.

Rating: 2/10

9. "Streets" by Doja Cat

I still somewhat like it but that beeping sound has soured me on the song a little and Doja's delivery on the second verse is still really harsh to my year especially on a song like this. Still decent but I wouldn't be surprised if it sours on me further.

Rating: 6/10

10. "Cover Me in Sunshine" by Pink and Willow Sage Hart

I don't care what anyone says, this song is so adorably innocent and sweet that I actually love it, it achieves it's designed purpose which is to bring a smile to my face and given that it's a top ten hit in Australia, it's doing the same for a lot of other people, it's a contender for my best hit songs list at the end of the year.

Rating: 9/10

11. "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence

So I will say it's been genuinely shocking a song that won the last held Eurovision Song Contest in 2019 is getting life in 2021 thanks of course to Tik Tok and yeah I actually like this a lot. The chorus has an anthemic swell and Duncan Laurence just nails the frustration that is being in love. Australia, let's make this a hit.

Rating: 8/10

12. "What Other People Say" by Demi Lovato and Sam Fischer.

This song just falls flat for me and I have no idea why...is it because it feels like another self empowerment anthem from Demi Lovato who has written and released a slew of this sort of songs? Possibly. Is it because it feels like it lacks the swell that it so desperately wants but can't achieve? Maybe. Also can't deny that Demi's vocals really do blow Sam out of the water and sounds like a song Pink would have likely rejected.

5/10

13. "Monster" by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber

I've ignored that Shawn Mendes album that was released last year and I think this song might have been a good indication why. Shawn Mendes and Justin "I've no Charisma at all" Justin Bieber on the same song is just a disaster waiting to happen. Shawn would have been better off putting Camila Cabello on this track and for a song that's called "Monster" the song is weirdly plastic and sterile lacking any true atmosphere that might lend some darkness to the song.

Rating: 4/10

14. "Violent" by carolesdaughter

Annoying vocals, heavy use of percussion that ruins a rather pretty guitar loop. For a song called "Violent" it's pretty weak. Next.

Rating: 2/10

15. "Wellerman (Sea Shanty)/ 220 Kid x Billen Ted" by Nathan Evans, 220 Kid and Billen Ted

I am surprised this isn't absolutely huge in Australia as yet, it's doing well in Europe, it's number one on the official charts in the UK but it's not even remotely close to charting in Australia yet somehow which is weird given this EDM cover of a The Longest Johns sea shanty became huge on Tik Tok and while I like this cover, Nathan Evans does a great job here, I cannot go past The Longest Johns original. Props to this though...it's good.

Rating: 7/10

16. "All You Ever Wanted" by Rag 'n' Bone Man

So I'll keep this pretty short as I do want to talk about it in another blog entry that I am planning...this is one of the best songs of the year so far. It is a massive improvement on "Human"

Rating: 9/10

17. "Goodbye" by Imanbek and Goodboys

This song is a bit in one ear and out the other a bit like the Imanbek remix of 'Roses" with Saint Jhn that I just didn't care about at all. This just merely exists to me.

Rating: 5/10

18. "Looking for Me" by Paul Woolford, Diplo and Kareen Lomax

My opinion on this song hasn't changed since I first heard it. The vocals on the introduction are annoying as hell and unnecessary...well the vocals don't really do anything for me at all here. Pass.

Rating: 4/10

19. "Pressure" by Martin Garrix feat Tove Lo

Well, wow...this was a little disappointing. What the hell happened here? This song is the sort of bad I don't expect from an EDM producer like Martin Garrix. That atonal beat is just grating and it swamps Tove Lo's vocals to the point I cannot understand a word she is singing.

Rating: 3/10

20. "Dramatic" by Cat & Calmell

So this song from this Sydney based dance/electronic duo has been getting a lot of airplay on Triple J and I for one don't think it's a bad thing as I kind of like how the song feels like a throwback to the  that The Veronicas put out around 2009. I actually enjoyed this a lot. It's not bad, the production feels really cheeky and the girls play into that.

Rating: 7/10

New Music Friday Review. 26th: Dancing with All Your Exes and Godzilla in Flesh and Blood

"All Your Exes" by Julia Michaels

I feel like Julia Michaels may well be a one hit wonder in front of a microphone, she's really had nothing solo since "Issues"...yeah she had that insipid "If The World Was Ending" with JP Saxe last year but otherwise she's been releasing music without a lot of attention until this song and unfortunately Michaels is the worst part about this song because I really honest like the rock pop instrumental here but Michaels has none of the visceral power or edge in her vocal delivery to give the song the attitude it needs to really work, she sounds like she's singing in front of a completely different flatter instrumental so yeah points for the instrumental but that's about it.

Rating: 5/10

"Godzilla" by The Veronicas.

Well this is a bit more like it! The Veronicas find their way to a rock sound with a song that could easily belong on their debut album and unlike Julia Michaels, Jess and Lisa Origlasso sound fantastic on this song. Yeah, the lyrics are a bit benarle but this considerably better than anything The Veronicas have done in the recent past, I love how wild the guitars are, they remind me of Hole at times. This is pretty damn great...check it out!

Rating: 8/10

"Flesh and Blood" by Jimmy Barnes

Most Americans know him as the screaming cowboy in the sky in the video for Kirin J. Callinan's "Big Enough" alongside Alex Cameron and Molly Lewis but Jimmy has a new album coming in July of 2021 with this being the lead single from it and while it's not as good as the best songs from :"My Criminal Record" ("Shutting Down Our Town" is still a great song), I still like this a fair bit because for thing it plays toward heartland rock territory and Jimmy sounds good here...not bad at all...check it out if you are curious.

Rating: 7/10

"Dancing With The Devil" by Demi Lovato

So the one thing I've gotten lately from the recent and pretty unsuccessful stream of singles in recent months from her which according to her fans can be blamed on her label's poor promotion of her music (I pin some of it to the songs not being good) but anyway this new song is one that's from her new album being released tomorrow and it's not bad, it reminds me a bit of "Expectations" by Lauren Jauregui in terms of its production, its classy and yet still gives room to Demi's vocals. The lyrics hint at the hell and back Demi has gone through over the past couple of years so yeah I am definitely curious for the album. Nice job.

Rating: 7/10