Rock Sweep: March 16, 2013...






It's time for part two of this week's "chart sweeps" where I sample the new songs making their way on to the weekly music charts in Billboard magazine. This time out it's the latest on rock radio...

On the composite Rock Airplay list, which combined the broadcast from all subgenres of rock stations, Imagine Dragons score their first #1 hit with their second single, "Radioactive"...

The top debut of the week at #41 is by the British indie-rock group Foals, with their first American hit, "Inhaler". The song, which also moved up to #22 on the modern rock chart, sounds like the funkiest Cure song I've heard in a while, with singer Yannis Phillipakis' voice going from a high falsetto to a roar through the course of the track, and it's my "rock pick of the week"...


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Heavy-metal outfit Device, featuring David Draiman from Disturbed and Geno Lenardo of Filter, combine their neo-rock forces at #48 with "Vilify", which also jumps to #23 on the mainstream rock and #22 on the active rock charts. It succeeds in pulling in influences from the Filter's electronic nuances and Disturbed's unbridled thump without seeming too much like a spinoff from either.


The third entry on the main rock chart makes the third concurrent track on the list for the #1 artist, Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons (they're also at #12 with "It's Time" on the year anniversary on the chart for the song). "Demons", which arrives at #49, already is up at #6 at Triple-A radio, and its Coldplay-esque grandioseness may prove this to be the biggest of them all....


...now for the individual format charts...

On the Mainstream Rock chart, Alice In Chains hangs on to #1 for a third week with "Hollow"...

It's a good week for Imagine Dragons as their #1 Rock Airplay/Alternative hit "Radioactive" crosses over here and is the only new entry at #36. I'm surprised it's taken this long to make it here, just like Muse's longstanding charttopper "Madness" (which also re-enters at #40 here this week)..



Meanwhile, at the Modern Rock/Alternative list, as I mentioned "Radioactive" spends a third week on top...

The top debut at #35 is the New York dance-punk trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with "Sacrilege". In 2004 they went to #9 on this list with "Maps". Like a lot of their material, it'll take a few listens to wrap my head around this. I'm not sold on it yet, but not turned off either.


The other entry on the chart at #38 is Green Day's single from their third of their trio of just-released albums, Tre!, with "X-Kid" the most straightforward of the bunch, therefore a nice touch for the audio clip. I'm telling you, listening to that cassette rewind in the beginning is like a drug for me. I'm not sure why they're not getting the love they deserve, maybe the three albums of material was Prince-like too much...



Over on the Triple-A (adult album alternative, or 'hipster rock') radio format, Icelandic indie-rockers Of Monsters and Men rack up a third week at #1 with "Mountain Sound".

Los Angeles folk-rock act Dawes have the big debut of the week at #25 with "From A Window Seat". They seem to bridge the divide between the Americana-rock of Mumford & Sons and the like with the funky jam bands like Phish and Blues Traveler...


The other entry at #30 is another rock act that has a lot of soul, Fitz & The Tantrums, with a song that already had gone to the top-30 on the Modern Rock chart, "Out of My League". I'm a fan of the band's debut album, and have high hopes for this one as well...


On the harder-edged Active Rock format chart, Alice In Chains stick around for week number two at #1 with "Hollow", while there are no debuts...

Lastly, on the Heritage Rock chart, "Hollow" is also at the top for a fourth week, as the aforementioned "Vilify" by Device is the top new song at #18...

Buckcherry, who last week had the highest debut on the album chart, come in at #20 with the first single from the set, "Gluttony".  It's already on the Mainstream and Active rock lists... (NSFW)


Shinedown's "I'll Follow You" chimes in at #23 this week. It's the fourth single from their Amaryllis album...


...and the fourth hard-rock song to debut this week here is Slash at #25 with "Anastacia" featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. His latest collab album is worth a listen...


That does it for the rock charts...I'll be back in an hour and a half with the latest on R&B radio. Rock on!


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