By Karen Glauber

After two major anniversaries (my 30th sober birthday and my 32nd year at
HITS), the only notable occasion last week was
Rex Manning Day on 4/8 (for those who celebrate). It’s always fun to hear from
Audacy’s
Christy Taylor on this day, which, for the gratefully uninformed, commemorates the date of the Rex Manning (
Maxwell Caufield) in-store in the 1995 movie
Empire Records. It was the first soundtrack I’d ever worked on, and I’m grateful for my tiny contribution to an ongoing pop-culture phenomenon. I’ll be celebrating by taking
Julian to see
Cavetown, accompanied by
Rob Goldklang and
KROQ’s
Miles Anzaldo. I’ll be the one in a mask.
Congrats to
St. Vincent for winning the
Grammy for Alternative Album of the Year, a category she shared with
Fleet Foxes,
Halsey,
Japanese Breakfast and
Arlo Parks. One might surmise that the dominance of female voices in the Alternative category reflects a similar shift in Alternative radio. Currently, seven of the 40 most-played songs at Alternative have female lead singers. That’s an improvement from the usual 10% or less on a typical chart, but hardly reflective of the streaming power of female artists vs. male artists.
I’m beyond “grateful” to
The Sands Report for enlisting a male PD this week to tell other male PDs that it’s OK to play female artists. I’m a fan of the male PD, and it should be noted that he has supported songs by
Snail Mail,
Mitski, etc., but it felt like the female artists we champion on the radio and label sides can only be validated if a man does the talking.
The biggest song in the world right now is “As It Was” by
Harry Styles, which was added this week by
Lisa Worden in Los Angeles and
Laura Lee in Columbus. I’m rarely awake by the time the headliner is onstage at
Coachella, but even if I’m nowhere near the stage, I’ll be there for Harry.
Massive congratulations to
Dan Connelly at
Capitol for nearing Top 5 at Alternative with
Bob Moses’ “Love Brand New.” Considering how packed the chart is with core artists like
Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Imagine Dragons,
Muse,
The Black Keys,
Weezer, etc., this accomplishment feels especially extraordinary. Bravo!
Props are also due Team
Wilderado and our friends at
Bright Antenna, as “Head Right” ascends to the Top 10. We love this song, and we love this team.

Happy
Wet Leg Day! Everybody’s favorite new band’s debut album,
Wet Leg, is finally out! Last June, “Chaise Longue” was our collective answer to the question, “What new music should I be listening to?” The album’s other standout, “Wet Dream,” will be the next radio single, impacting 4/18.
A song I’m obsessed with,
Winder’s “Memory,” is this week’s Audacy “Pick of the Week,” hence its Top 35 debut. Looking at the boosted streams and
Shazams from this exposure, this song should stick around beyond the feature.
Next week’s “Pick of the Week” will be “Talk” by
beabadoobee, which has over 3 million streams since release, and I know you’ll be with me when she plays Coachella on Sunday.
Bishop Briggs, newly signed to
Arista, has returned with a new song, “High Water,” written after the passing of her beloved sister
Kate, whom many of us knew and adored. I cried at first listen. And second listen. And every listen since.
DC101’s morning powerhouse,
Elliot in the Morning, will now be heard on multiple Audacy stations, including
WNYL NYC, beginning 4/11. Elliot, in addition to being a ratings juggernaut, has exceptional taste in music. The format needs to survive, by whatever means necessary, and I think it’s very clever of
Mike Kaplan to incorporate a proven talent into his mix.
I was thrilled to read about this summer’s
Interpol/
Spoon co-headlining tour. On the heels of the announcement, Interpol has released a new song, “Toni,” which you will love, while
Spoon’s genius single “Wild” was added this week at
101X and
WLUM.

It was a big weekend of shows: Cavetown on Friday,
Rina Sawayama on Saturday and
Beach House on Sunday. I’ve been doing my best to feel “normal,” at least while I can.