And...they're off!!! (Music Review - Week of 11/21/2011

Another late-in-the-week blog entry, as we make it through Thanksgiving week....I trust all of you had a great Turkey Day, and also hope the Black Friday came and went and you shopper got to bring home some treasures.


AT THE TOP:  Mayer Hawthorne remains at #1 for a second week with his retro-soul entry "The Walk".  When I posted my top 10 last week, we had some good vibes finally on this one, although one person, Tom Corea had indicated he was disappointed with the album from which it appears, "How Do You Do?"    Being mostly a single-oriented person, only going deep in album when I hear at least two powerful cuts, I will reserve judgement until a follow-up is released, which may be a while since the song is still trying to get a foothold on Triple-A formatted stations.    The two local gals, Omnia, and Sarah Jean, advance to the runner-up positions.   Both are very talented, and am proud to be friends of both on Facebook.  I would love to see them at #1, but a couple of songs threaten to jump over them into the top spot next week...

The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy", already #3 on Billboard's alternative chart, advances to #4 here.   Well over two million hits on YouTube; unfortunately again, pop radio resistance to any artistically creative rock continues as the song falls off the Hot 100 after one week.    Looks like Sallie Ford has a point.  The other one to watch is back a bit at #18, R.E.M.'s "We All Go Back to Where We Belong" which jumps 27 notices....it may also challenge for the top spot in a couple of weeks.   Three other moves to be reckoned with are "That's By Baby" by Sleeper Agent (20 - 10), "It's Real" by Real Estate (19-11) and the Red Hot Chili Pepper's second straight top 20 entry, "Monarchy and Roses" (22-14).    Phantogram also makes an impressive debut in the top 20.

SEVEN AND ONLY:  As promised (albeit a week late), I add two more Adele songs from 21 onto my SnS list, as "I'll Be Waiting" jumps to #9, becoming her record fifth song in that echelon, breaking a three way tie with Rachel Allyn and Florence + the Machine (more on that later).     "Lovesong", the slowed-down cover of The Cure's 1989 hit comes in at #73, and the very bluesy "One and Only", is a breakout, besting it at #63 as Top Debut.    As "Someone Like You" drops out, and "Set Fire To The Rain" inches back up, it gives Adele four songs on SnS.     This has certainly not been a bad year for Adele, as it was about one year ago that "Rolling In the Deep" was released to Triple-A radio stations.

MERRY CHRISTMAS MS. POTTER:   Well, it's that time of year again, where we start seeing some holiday releases.   The first one I spotted is Christmas With Grace Potter & the Nocturnals.    Now, of course their most recent self-titled studio effort yielded two top 20 songs, "Tiny Light" and "Paris", both in 2010...their popularity picked up momentum during this summer when they played any festival you could imagine, and also hosted their own fest in their native Vermont in August.    Unforutnately, I was unable to find any new singles form them (I did re-add "Paris" for a time), however, Grace was featured on Kenny Chesney's most recent single "You and Tequila".     But they chime in with the first holiday effort.   I add two songs this week, the oft-covered "Please Come Home for Christmas", and an original 'Naughty Naughty Children".    Last year, "Christmas Tonight" by Dave Barnes w/ Hilary Scott was the big winner, reaching #7, with entries by Colplay and Train doing well also.

SAY GOODBYE:   As expected, Rachel Allyn's "Lovely Lily" falls out of the top 20 becoming the first week without our Ogdensburg gal in the upper echelon since January 17th.    That leaves Florence + the Machine the official longevity champ, present on the Top 20 since April 18th.    Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" drops to #93, logging its 44th week here....this will tie "Rolling In the Deep" for the marathon championship...can "Kicks" break the record?

The long newbie entering this week is Rachel Yamagata.  Her "Starlight" enters at #100.   A singer/songwriter from Chicago, she was originally in the band "Bumpus" and went solo in 2004.  She's also appeared on albums by familiar acts such as Ryan Adams, Ray Lamontagne and Jason Mraz.   Chesapeak is her latest album, and you can catch her at Maxwells in Hoboken, December 19th.

Scenes n' Soundwaves 100 for week of November 21, 2011:

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	1	MAYER HAWTHORNE "The Walk" Album: How Do You Do? (2 weeks at #1)	7
2	3	Omnia - What's Become of Us?	9
3	4	Sarah Jean - Hometown	10
4	6	The Black Keys - Lonely Boy	4
5	2	Dum Dum Girls - Coming Down	9
6	5	Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing	16
7	9	Ellie Goulding - Lights	8
8	10	Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out	6
9	12	Adele - I'll Be Waiting	11
10	20	Sleeper Agent- That's My Baby	7
11	19	Real Estate - It's Real	6
12	8	Florence + the Machine - What the Water Gave Me	14
13	7	Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside - I Swear	14
14	22	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:     RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS  "Monarchy and Roses" Album: I'm With You	4
15	13	The Vaccines - Wetsuit	6
16	11	Best Coast - Our Deal	11
17	15	Coldplay - Paradise	11
18	49	MOVER OF THE WEEK:     R.E.M. "We All Go Back To Where We Belong" Album: Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011	3
19	30	Phantogram - Don't Move	5
20	21	Paul Czekaj - My Home New Jersey	10

21	23	Snow Patrol - Called Out In the Dark	11
22	16	Cage the Elephant - Aberdeen	13
23	27	Carolina Liar - Drown	12
24	17	The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue	15
25	33	Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn	5
26	18	Rachel Allyn - Lovely Lily	14
27	34	Zac Brown Band - Keep Me In Mind	6
28	14	Anna Calvi - Blackout	15
29	41	Blitzen Trapper - Love the Way You Walk Away	9
30	24	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	20
31	29	Sara Bareilles - Gonna Get Over You	7
32	36	Dawes - Time Spent in Los Angeles	8
33	40	Foster the People - Don't Stop	4
34	48	Katy Perry - The One That Got Away	5
35	25	Bush - The Sound of Winter	16
36	26	Wilco - I Might	18
37	28	Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces	17
38	39	Foo Fighters - These Days	7
39	55	Fleet Foxes - Lorelai	3
40	35	Duran Duran - Leave A Light On	8
41	53	The Big Troubles - She Smiles for Pictures	5
42	47	St. Vincent - Cruel	9
43	59	Graffiti6 - Free	4
44	45	Beirut - Santa Fe	9
45	44	Daughtry - Crawling Back to You	8
46	52	Fruit Bats - Tangle and Ray	8
47	32	Thom Sebastian & the Hounds of Winter - Not Broken	13
48	42	Scars on 45 - Heart on Fire	10
49	38	Omnia - Grace	9
50	56	Kasabian - Days Are Forgotten	6
51	37	Oberhofer - Gotta Go	13
52	31	Stephen Malkus and the Jicks - Tigers	10
53	68	Portugal. The Man - So American	3
54	46	Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed	11
55	63	Kathleen Edwards - Change the Sheets	4
56	50	Bell X1 - 4 Minute Mile	12
57	51	Plan B- Love Goes Down	22
58	62	Martin Solvag & Dragonette - Hello	5
59	43	Little Dragon - Shuffle a Dream	13
60	54	Surfer Blood- Swim	16
61	57	Best Coast - Something In The Way	23
62	61	Man Man - Knuckle Down	12
63	----	TOP DEBUT:   ADELE "One and Only" Album: 21	1
64	74	Joy Formidable - A Heavy Abacus	3
65	70	The Fray - Heartbeat	5
66	71	WU LYF - Spitting Blood	6
67	76	Blink-182 - Up All Night	5
68	96	Warren Haynes - River's Gonna Rise	2
69	64	Mister Heavenly - Mister Heavenly	15
70	58	Dom - Happy Birthday Party	11
71	78	Funeral Party - NYC Moves to the Sound of LA	7
72	60	Michelle Branch - Loud Music	20
73	----	Adele - Love Song	1
74	83	The Knux - Razorblade	2
75	65	Rachel Platten - 1,000 Ships	9
76	69	We Are Augustines - Book of James	7
77	89	Faith Hill - Come Home	2
78	66	Needtobreathe - Drive All Night	12
79	----	Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Naughty, Naughty Children	1
80	84	Ryan Adams - Lucky Now	6
81	85	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Maniac	3
82	86	Ladytron - White Elephant	3
83	67	Imelda May - Mayhem	13
84	73	Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman - It Begins Tonight	11
85	80	Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie	19
86	72	Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse - Body and Soul	9
87	88	First Aid Kit - Lion's Roar	3
88	94	Rihanna - We Found Love	3
89	91	Awolnation - Not Your Fault	4
90	95	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	20
91	79	SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker	18
92	77	Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes	13
93	82	Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks	44
94	----	Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Please Come Home For Christmas	1
95	75	Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All	12
96	81	The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted	16
97	98	Avenged Sevenfold - Buried Alive	2
98	----	Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle	1
99	87	Simple Plan f. Natasha Bedingfield - Jet Lag	5
100	----	Rachel Yamagata - Starlight	1

TREMORS:

101. Nicki Minaj, Super Bass
102. Expensive Looks - Nothing More
103. Mumford & Sons, 'Winter Winds"
104. Dan Mangen - Post War Blues
105. Christine Perri - A Thousand Years
106. 311- Count Me In
107. Redlight King - Bullet In My Hand

Current Stuff (Music Review - Week of 11/14/2011)

A pretty quiet and late week here on Scenes'n'Soundwaves, but we do have a new #1 song, "The Walk" by Michigan's Mayer Hawthorne.  The retro-soul entry ends the three-week reign of the popular-with-my-friends "Coming Down" by L.A.'s Dum Dum Girls.    That song drops to the #2 position, while the two local gals, Omnia and Sarah Jean, move up a notch to #3 and #4 respectively.    Speaking of Sarah Jean, I just heard her on an online radio show and she was awesome, live from a club in Garwood, NJ.    Hopefully I'll catch her at a live gig sometime; I will let you know the details as I get them.  In the meantime, check out her two CD's, Sarah Jean and the Hounds of Winter and Girl Will Run, which contains my featured track, "Hometown".    Completing the top five is "Stay Young, Go Dancing", by Death Cab for Cutie which drops down from #2.

The big news in the top 10 is the rapid rise of the new Black Keys single "Lonely Boy", which leaps 17-6 in only it's third week.    It's the lead track from their upcoming El Camino CD, due next month, but the track---and its video--is catching on.   It's already #6 on the Alternative Chart in only its second week; from what I remember, it took about 16 weeks for "Tighten Up" to get to that position.  It debuts at #91 on the Billboard Hot 100, only four notches lower than "Tighten Up's" peak.    Also, the video features a guy dancing throughout the second; the guy, Derrick T. Tuttle, was a guess on the Ellen DeGeneres show earlier this week.     While their last album Brothers, was a breakthrough hit in Alt-rock circles, and contained the #1 alternative (and my 2010 year end winner) "Tighten Up", and my #2 "Howlin' For You", this one could break through to mainstream success, a big achievement considering the scene's current resistance to rock (Foster the People notwithstanding).    Florence + the Machine now has two songs in the Top 10 as "Shake It Out" joins "What the Water Gave Me"

In the second 10, Adele, which I admit I was getting a bit tired from, makes a big jump from 19-12 with "I'll Be Waiting", taking ten weeks to get there.   Also, contrary to last week's blog, the third single will be "Set Fire to the Rain", and not "Rumor Has It".   Apparently, reports of radio airplay, digital sales and You Tube hits are leaning more towards "Fire", hence its selection.     That song peaked at #9 here (as opposed to #1 for "Rumor"), but again, I was getting a bit tired of Adele at that point.    "Fire" re-enters my chart at #95 this week.   Despite her still out of commision after voice surgery, she remains popular and I have been giving her album another listen....kind of a second wind.    I will be adding "Lovesong" next week (I would have this week, but I forgot!), and I may add another track as well, possibly "One and Only".   Real Estate, and Sleeper Agent, the latter a six-piece from Kentucky who are touring with Cage the Elephant, debut in the top 20.

Last week's Top Debut is this week's mover, R.E.M.'s "We All Go Back to Where We Belong".  Another one is Graffiti6's "Free" at #59.    The Top Debut is a band called The Knux, with "Razorblade".  They are actually a duo who meld alt-rock with hip-hop overtones.  Eraser is their second full-length album, released back in September.    They will be at Maxwell's in Hoboken on November 21.

RACHEL STAY?    Finally, Rachel Allen's "Lovely Lily" drops to #18 this week.   Unless it stablizes next week, it would be the first time since January 17 that the local songstress would be absent from the top 20.  No word on when her new single "Ain't No Fun" will be released.

Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for Week of November 14, 2011

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	3	MAYER HAWTHORNE "The Walk" Album: How Do You Do	6
2	1	Dum Dum Girls - Coming Down	8
3	4	Omnia - What's Become of Us?	8
4	5	Sarah Jean - Hometown	9
5	2	Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing	15
6	17	The Black Keys - Lonely Boy	3
7	6	Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside - I Swear	13
8	7	Florence + the Machine - What the Water Gave Me	13
9	13	Ellie Goulding - Lights	7
10	12	Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out	5
11	10	Best Coast - Our Deal	10
12	19	Adele - I'll Be Waiting	10
13	16	The Vaccines - Wetsuit	5
14	8	Anna Calvi - Blackout	14
15	20	Coldplay - Paradise	10
16	15	Cage the Elephant - Aberdeen	12
17	11	The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue	14
18	9	Rachel Allyn - Lovely Lily	13
19	27	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:     REAL ESTATE "It's Real" Album: Days	5
20	28	Sleeper Agent- That's My Baby	6

21	22	Paul Czekaj - My Home New Jersey	9
22	33	Red Hot Chili Peppers - Monarch and Roses	3
23	26	Snow Patrol - Called Out In the Dark	10
24	14	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	19
25	21	Bush - The Sound of Winter	15
26	25	Wilco - I Might	17
27	32	Carolina Liar - Drown	11
28	24	Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces	16
29	31	Sara Bareilles - Gonna Get Over You	6
30	40	Phantogram - Don't Move	4
31	18	Stephen Malkus and the Jicks - Tigers	9
32	23	Thom Sebastian & the Hounds of Winter - Not Broken	12
33	45	Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn	4
34	37	Zac Brown Band - Keep Me In Mind	5
35	35	Duran Duran - Leave A Light On	7
36	44	Dawes - Time Spent in Los Angeles	7
37	30	Oberhofer - Gotta Go	12
38	34	Omnia - Grace	8
39	43	Foo Fighters - These Days	6
40	54	Foster the People - Don't Stop	3
41	49	Blitzen Trapper - Love the Way You Walk Away	8
42	39	Scars on 45 - Heart on Fire	9
43	29	Little Dragon - Shuffle a Dream	12
44	48	Daughtry - Crawling Back to You	7
45	50	Beirut - Santa Fe	8
46	42	Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed	10
47	55	St. Vincent - Cruel	8
48	64	Katy Perry - The One That Got Away	4
49	70	MOVER OF THE WEEK:   R.E.M. "We All Go Back To Where We Belong" Album: Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011	2
50	41	Bell X1 - 4 Minute Mile	11
51	38	Plan B- Love Goes Down	21
52	56	Fruit Bats - Tangle and Ray	7
53	58	The Big Troubles - She Smiles for Pictures	4
54	36	Surfer Blood- Swim	15
55	73	Fleet Foxes - Lorelai	2
56	66	Kasabian - Days Are Forgotten	5
57	53	Best Coast - Something In The Way	22
58	47	Dom - Happy Birthday Party	10
59	81	Graffiti6 - Free	3
60	46	Michelle Branch - Loud Music	19
61	60	Man Man - Knuckle Down	11
62	67	Martin Solvag & Dragonette - Hello	4
63	76	Kathleen Edwards - Change the Sheets	3
64	51	Mister Heavenly - Mister Heavenly	14
65	59	Rachel Platten - 1,000 Ships	8
66	52	Needtobreathe - Drive All Night	11
67	57	Imelda May - Mayhem	12
68	88	Portugal. The Man - So American	2
69	69	We Are Augustines - Book of James	6
70	75	The Fray - Heartbeat	4
71	72	WU LYF - Spitting Blood	5
72	68	Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse - Body and Soul	8
73	62	Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman - It Begins Tonight	10
74	84	Joy Formidable - A Heavy Abacus	2
75	61	Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All	11
76	82	Blink-182 - Up All Night	4
77	63	Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes	12
78	79	Funeral Party - NYC Moves to the Sound of LA	6
79	65	SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker	17
80	74	Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie	18
81	71	The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted	15
82	78	Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks	43
83	----	TOP DEBUT: THE KNUX "Razorblade" Album: Eraser	1
84	94	Ryan Adams - Lucky Now	5
85	95	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Maniac	2
86	100	Ladytron - White Elephant	2
87	92	Simple Plan f. Natasha Bedingfield - Jet Lag	4
88	97	First Aid Kit - Lion's Roar	2
89	----	Faith Hill - Come Home	1
90	80	Avi Buffalo - How Come	21
91	93	Awolnation - Not Your Fault	3
92	83	Nickelback- Bottoms Up	5
93	91	Adele - Someone Like You	30
94	99	Rihanna - We Found Love	2
95	RE-ENTRY	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	19
96	----	Warren Haynes - River's Gonna Rise	1
97	77	Kate Voegele - Sandcastles	11
98	----	Avenged Sevenfold - Buried Alive	1
99	----	Nicki Minaj - Super Bass	1
100	90	The Jayhawks - She Walks In So Many Ways	16

TREMORS:

101. Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle
102. Dan Mangen - Post War Blues
103. Mumford & Songs - Winter Winds
104. 311 - Count Me In
105. Redlight King - Bullet In My Hand