Hopes that 2013 will be a great year for independent and alternative rock music, with a wide variety of amazing albums and singles by well known, DIY and breakout bands were bolstered significantly by what turned out to be a strong January for music releases, offering music lovers plenty to listen to in the past few weeks.
The response from IRC listeners has been strong, especially in regards to DIY releases, including many truly talented unsigned artists and bands, as evident by the response to recent posts and the results of the Top 10 Songs weekly playlists for January.
And yet it was the 40-year running experimental, underground rock/jazz/pop veterans, Cleveland band, Pere Ubu, that took the honors of having the first No. 1 song of 2013 on IRC – as determined by which singles listeners streamed and downloaded the most during the week of January 8th to January 14th (since there were no significant number of releases for the first week of the year due to the holidays). There were many terrific small label and DIY artists’ songs that made the Top 10 for the week of Jan. 8th , including fresh tracks from Wooden Wand, Alex Vans, The Agreeables, Youthband, We’re No Heroes and Luck & Senses, among others.
“Free White” – Pere Ubu from Lady From Shangai on Fire Records
Week of January 15th
The week of January 15th (since Tuesdays are when most albums are released) was an encouraging one because of the quantity and quality of anticipated, and surprise, singles and albums, that came out. The relatively unknown band, The Capsules, blew past the competition – that included Yo La Tengo, Virals, Free Energy, The Head and the Heart and many others – to capture the No. 1 spot of the week.
“Across The Sky” – The Capsules from Northern Lights and Southern Skies on Vespera Records
Listen to the entire Top 10 Songs for the Week of Jan. 15th.
Week of January 22nd
For the last full week of January, the No. 1 song according to listeners was Los Angeles indie rock veterans Gliss, who many people never heard of before until their newest release, and the most popular song of the week, “Weight of Love.”
“Weight of Love” – Gliss from Langsom on Modern Outsider Records
Listen to all of the top songs for the week of January 22nd.
Week of January 29th
January has been characterized by surprise No. 1 songs, starting with Pere Ubu, right through to the end of the month with indie artist Lost Animal, who captured the No. 1 spot with his new single, “Say No To Thugs” from the album Ex-Tropical.
“Say No to Thugs” – Lost Animal from Ex Tropical on Hardly Art
Stream and download all of the Top 10 Songs for the week of Jan. 29th
The number of new album releases is now starting to pick up. In fact, this week presents a healthy dose of new drops from a variety of artists covering a wide spectrum of musical styles. Some of the more popular and well-known artists and bands with new material out this week include Yo La Tengo, The Head and the Heart, Virals, Free Energy, Christopher Owens, and Pickwick, among others. We’re also working now on a treasure trove of excellent new albums, and singles from those albums, by an array of DIY and small label artists, set to post this weekend – you’ll really want to put aside some time to read about, and listen to, nearly a dozen talented artists and bands that most of you have probably never heard of before (and many of which will only be posted on IRC).
