Rock Sweep: September 6, 2014...

Round two of this week's "chart sweeps" is up, sampling the songs making the various radio charts in Billboard magazine, and this time it's the newest on rock stations around the country...

On the aggregate Rock Airplay chart, Vance Joy spends his third week at #1 with "Riptide"...

The top debut of the week, at #32, belongs to Canadian bro-rockers Nickelback, who must be another of the seven signs of the apocalypse, releasing yet another single at this uneasy time in history. But while I can readily admit that I've been defiantly fond of many a tune from the boys, this slice of cheese falls like a group-tested anthem of faux anarchy, handily vague enough for those libertarian fucktards fighting against "the system" yet still taking full advantage of said "system". And even when this is trying so hard to be "edgy", it feels so tagged to white-man anger which can be easily tied to our current president (who is kind of "different", don't ya know?). Now Chad and the gang can get the job done even with poster-inspired "message" songs like "When We Stand Together", but this is about as anti-establishment as the Young Republicans. It's just what "establishment" they can't stand. Lord. This makes Avril look like Patti Smith.(Since the combined Rock Airplay chart started in 2009, they've hit the top-10 twice with "Burn It To The Ground" reaching #7)

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Death From Above 1979, a real punk band from Canada, come in at #44 with "Trainwreck 1979". It jumps from its debut of #36 to #29 on the Alternative Rock chart as well..

Ryan Adams enters at #47 with his top-3 Triple-A hit "Gimme Something Good". He made it to #38 with "Lucky Now" in 2011...

British heavy-metal duo Royal Blood seep in at #49 with "Figure It Out", which sports a music video that I'm sure will be among my top clips of the year. The track drops a notch to #21 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and it follows their breakthrough hit "Out Of The Black", which went to #13 on this list...

 Now onward to the rock radio format charts...

On the Mainstream Rock radio panel, Godsmack reigns for a third week with "1000hp", while the aforementioned Nickelback travesty rockets in at #16...

Canadian Christian hard rock band Thousand Foot Krutch land at #35 with "Born This Way" (not to be confused with the Lady Gaga song). Back in 2005 they made it to #16 with "Move". There's been a boon for harder-edged religious-tinged rock music these days, but this is a bit more sanitized than some of the others out there, and more vague in its intentions, but hey, it's a lot more enjoyable a listen than the rash of deathcore flooding the market...

Fort Lauderdale-based metal group Nonpoint return at #36 with the first single from their upcoming album The Return, "Breaking Skin". It's their eleventh time so far on the chart; they peaked at #16 with 2012's "Left For You". Now this is some headbangin' I can get into...

Heavy metal "supergroup" Hellyeah, led by Mudvayne's Chad Gray (yes, another Chad), drive in at #37 with "Moth", the second single from their Blood For Blood album. The first, "Sangre Por Sangre", made it to #17. A metal waltz. Yes, please. A tight record from a band with experience.

Meanwhile, on the Alternative/Modern Rock chart, "Riptide" stays on top for a third week...

Two top-ten Triple-A hits crossover to this format....first up at #28 are the Black Keys with the follow-up to their #1 hit (and possible #1 rock hit of 2014) "Fever". "Gotta Get Away" looks like it's got the momentum to be a big hit, and the classic sound makes for fun driving music...

 The other AAA Top-ten comes from Spoon, whose "Do You" makes it on here at #37. Back in 2007 they peaked at #26 with "The Underdog"...

Scottish indie-rock band Twin Atlantic score their second hit here at #40 with "Heart And Soul". They had charted in 2011 with "Free". This bright, fresh piece of brogue on top of a pop nugget is my "Rock Pick of the Week"...

 Lastly, on the Triple-A (adult album alternative, or "hipster rock") format, German duo Milky Chance stick around for a third week at #1 with "Stolen Dance"...

English trip-hop group London Grammar enter at #28 with "Strong", a song that made the top-5 on the Australian singles chart. I'm a big fan of the trio, and happy they're slowly finding an audience in the States...

Cage The Elephant's successor to their first #1 hit on the format, "Come A Little Closer", is "Take It Or Leave It", which slides in at #29. The single already had reached #12 on the Alternative list. Which is fitting, since the record straddles the line between grunge and electronica adeptly. I'm surprised this record hasn't had the big success the first single did, perhaps overburn set in from the long-lasting hit...

The final debut of the week at #30 is by newcomer Benjamin Booker, a blues-soul guitarist and singer from Virginia Beach, with "Violent Shiver". With guitar chops reminding me of Lenny Kravitz channeled through Robert Cray with a voice like Iggy Pop, I've got high hopes for the artist...

 I'll return in an hour and a half with the latest on R&B radio...rock on!