Cam’s “Burning House” and Finish Ticket’s “Scavenger” move into an otherwise quiet top ten, but the most notable change comes just below: Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up And Dance” exits the top ten for the first time, in its fifty-eighth week on the chart. Charles Kelley scores the biggest mover title this week along with featured acts Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay, as “The Driver” vaults from last week’s debut position of #88 up to #36. One spot below, Martin Luke Brown is the highest debut with new single “Knife Edge.” Troye Sivan sneaks new song “Talk Me Down” into the top fifty as well. In the bottom half of the chart, Lauren Alaina, XYLØ, Bondax featuring Erik Hassle, and Wet enter, as does a re-entry from Finish Ticket.
Martin Luke Brown
Alessia Cara moves into the top five with debut single “Here,” and Kacey Musgraves enters the top ten with “Dime Store Cowgirl.” Big moves come from former chart-topper Martin Luke Brown, whose “Scars On Scars” jumps 52-34, and Clairity, who launches 98-54 with “DNA.” Lianne La Havas lands five more debuts from her new album Blood; Carly Rae Jepsen, Disclosure featuring Sam Smith, One Direction, Ryn Weaver, and Clairity also add to their chart history.
In its 23rd week at the top, Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up And Dance” sets a record for the highest number of chart weeks at #1, surpassing the previous 22-week record set by Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep.” (In the earliest days of my personal chart, Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera’s “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely” reigned for a total of 41 weeks at #1 in 2002, though only over five charts, as I was not yet compiling them on a weekly basis.) Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen moves into the top ten with “E·MO·TION.”
The week’s highest debut comes from former chart-topper Martin Luke Brown, whose new song “Scars On Scars” enters at #68. New singles from Grizfolk, Demi Lovato, Hunter Hayes featuring Lady Antebellum, and Jess Glynne also enter, as does newcomer FLETCHER and a new album cut from both Kacey Musgraves and Tori Kelly.
Walk The Moon scores a ninth week at #1 with the top ten mostly unchanged, save a move into the top five by Nate Ruess and a #10 entry for Morgan Page and Lissie. Rachel Platten makes another big jump, up 27 to #13 in her third week on with “Fight Song.” Once again, Sam Hunt, Olly Murs featuring Demi Lovato, and The Veronicas make double-digit jumps, as do Martin Luke Brown’s “Take Out Of Me” and Greg Holden’s “Hold On Tight.” The biggest chart entry this week is a re-entry, as CAFUNÉ’s debut single “Letting Go” returns at #83 after last charting at #99 at the beginning of February. Florence + The Machine lands another debut from upcoming album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, but the rest of the debuts are all from artists appearing for the first time: Years & Years, Handsome Ghost, Brandon Flowers, The Bros. Landreth, and Cheerleader.
While many people flocked south to Austin, Texas last week for this year’s South By Southwest festival, which showcases more than two thousand artist performances alongside label presentations, technology reveals, and discussion panels, some of us had to settle for attending Couch By Couchwest from home. I spent the past week digging through a spreadsheet of 2,121 artists who were slated to play during SXSW 2015, and after whittling down the list and listening to 622 of them, I have selected 76 independent acts that warrant further attention now that the festivities have ended. Read a short blurb on each artist below along with a prime track among their discography, or skip ahead to the full playlist on SoundCloud by clicking here. Continue reading “76 independent artists to watch following SXSW 2015”
It’s a quiet week as a whole on the chart, thanks mainly to my preoccupation of digging through artists who played at SXSW in Austin this week. Very little movement occurs within the top twenty, save two entries by Christine and the Queens and Kelly Clarkson. Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” makes a big jump of 36 positions to land at #40, and Sam Hunt (“Take Your Time,” 77-46) and The Veronicas (“You Ruin Me,” 95-64) each score 31-position jumps. The week’s highest debut belongs to Martin Luke Brown, who returns at #75 with “Take Out Of Me,” the title track from his upcoming EP. Delta Rae debuts another album preview track, as do AIR BAG ONE with their debut track “1992” and Of Monsters And Men with new single “Crystals;” Kelly Clarkson’s “Second Wind” also appropriately makes a re-entry at the bottom of the chart.
After a fourteen-week run at the top, Martin Luke Brown slips out of the pole position as Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up And Dance” ascends to #1 in its 21st week on the chart. The rest of the top ten gets a slight shake-up as well, with Walk The Moon’s “Aquaman” also moving into the top three, Ellie Goulding continuing her upward momentum as “Love Me Like You Do” goes from #6 to #4, and Carrie Underwood’s newly-announced single “Little Toy Guns” moving 12-10. Tori Kelly scores the week’s highest debut, with new single “Nobody Love” entering at a lofty #25. Toward the bottom of the chart, XOV, Max Frost, and Sam Smith re-enter the chart, while new songs come in from Train, Coasts, Justin Mauriello, and Lee Ann Womack.