So, Was It Worth the Wait? (SoundRaves week of 6/27/2011)

It could be a long-awaited movie sequel.  Or maybe a new season of a favorite TV program.    Or, your favorite band has finally put out a new album after a three-year hiatus or simply a few months after you became a big fan.  The anticipation is killing you.   And when it does come out, you're probably waiting in line at the box office, or have the channel tuned in several minutes beforehand so you don't miss the opening, or you're rushing in the record store grabbing that new CD before anyone can lay a hand on it.

And, chances are you haven't yet listened or viewed it!     Yeah, it's amazing what we look forward to in life when something new comes out even though it may ultimately wind up being a disappointment.

I really had no idea what to write about this week, until I logged on the computer this afternoon to put in my usual overtime working from home.    I peeked at my Facebook News Feed to see what was going down.    Friends were posting pictures of a 'reunion event' down the shore at Point Pleasant last Sunday, another was putting scenes around our hometown of Roselle Park.   Still others were beaming about their kids graduations.     A longtime friend of mine was contemplating taking some demos, and recording an actual album.     Many friends (or kids of same) talked about the Dave Matthews Band Caravan last weekend in Atlantic City.  And of course those artists pages.    Plan B has a new video out (and a damn good one at that, "Love Goes Down", by the way).    Erik Ofgang of those Celtic rock sensations MacTalla Mor posted pictures from a concert he went to involving Grace Potter & the Nocturnals (boy, it didn't take too long before we mentioned THEM again, didn't it?), and the kicker, that MTM themselves played with Grace and the boys a couple years back.   Now I have to see them, even if it means travelling up north to their Grand Point North festival in Burlington VT.

Anyway, continuing to look at the News Feed, taking me by surprise was Avi Buffalo's new single called "How Come", which dropped Tuesday on iTunes.     Now, for those who have just started reading my blog and scratching, this is a big deal.     Avi who?  you may ask....    Well, Avi Buffalo was, at the time, a West Coast quartet on the Sub Pop label (the legendary Seattle company responsible for many new up and coming artists) who put out a critically-acclaimed album last year, eponymously titled.   It contained a single, "What's In it For?" that my musically-inclined collegue Brian Sniatkowski graciously made his Song of the Week last August.    It was immediate for me, a psychedelic sixties throwback song, with a video a cross between something from 1967 and the movie Avitar     It debuted on my SoundRaves chart at #21 (still a record), hit #1 for 5 weeks (also a record), and stayed on for 32 weeks (also a record....which most likely will be broken either by Fitz & the Tantrums or Adele...but that's a story for another day).

So...what do you do for an encore?    And, if you're a fan, how long do you wait for the next record?    Keeping in mind that Avi Buffalo for me was like waiting for a new Beatles single in the 60's, a new Led Zeppelin LP in the 70's, perhaps a new Michael Jackson video on MTV in the 80's...or simply a new season of The Sopranos, or that latest Harry Potter movie.   

Well, "How Come" is out!   And it's excellent....although upon first listen, it's not as immediate as "What's In it For"? but nonetheless an infectious song.     Upon listening to it a second and third time, I think it's getting pretty addictive.     Stripped down to a duo after the departure of keyboardist Rebecca Coleman and bassist Arin Fazio (for the band Pagents), it is really a showcase for frontman Avidor Zahner-Isenberg.    It appeared that he would release a solo album, but apparently this is the lead single for a new Avi album due later this year.    To me, the song retains its sixties edge while showing an influence from alt-band The Flaming Lips.     It comes in at #48 at the top debut this week.

So, in this case, (and of course, with Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" when that came out, the wait was well worth it.  There of course have been anticipated duds that didn't live up to expectations.  I will leave those instances up to you, but there are many.

TOP 100:   We have a new song at the top, "Save Me San Francisco" which takes the #1 spot from Adele, the fourth single from the album of the same name; however right on its heels is Rachel Allyn's "Say Hello to Goodbye", which slips in at #2.   Still no word on when that video will be released, but it should be interesting to check out.  "Rumour Has It" drops to #3, but another big gainer is "Get Some" by Swede Lykke Li, which reminded me of the girl-group and new wave classic "I Want Candy".  Her album is Wounded Rhymes.  She'll be doing a concert in Central Park on August 1, then play Lollapalooza in Chicago four days later, along with a stint with Foster the People the same day.

Katy Perry and Fitz & the Tantrums both take big leaps into the top 20.   The latter is an album cut that is growing on me; although I may add their new single "Don't Gotta Work It Out" in a couple of weeks  as well.  The Perry song jumped to #4 on the Hot 100 last week, and she is  very close to becoming the first woman (and second artist overall) to pull five number #1's from a single album (Michael Jackson did it with Bad in 1987-88).   And, after 28 weeks in the top 10, "Rolling in the Deep" finally drops to #11.   It's still at the top of Billboard, and a label executtive did alude to "Someone Like You" being the next single here.   As that one already spent a couple weeks at the top for me, I may add "Set Fire to the Rain" or "Lovesong" (The Cure remake), stay tuned.   Incidentally, she has been cleared to resume her tour in August, with a date in Atlantic City in October.

Aside from the aforementioned Avi Buffalo and Plan B, other debuts include indie-rockers Sleeper Agent, Wild Flag, and Yacht.   Sleeper Agent is from Washington DC, Yacht from Portland, and Wild Flag contains members from both areas.    And I had no idea of that connection until I just looked that up; go figure!

SOUND-RAVES 100 for Week of June 27, 2011

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	2	TRAIN "Save Me San Francisco" Album: Save Me San Francisco	8
2	4	Rachel Allyn - Say Hello To Goodbye	5
3	1	Adele - Rumour Has It	10
4	10	Lykke Li - Get Some	7
5	3	Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi-Two Against One	12
6	9	Florence + the Machine - You Got the Love	7
7	11	My Morning Jacket - Holdin' On to Black Metal	6
8	22	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK: KATY PERRY "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)" Album: Teenage Dream	3
9	6	Death Cab for Cutie - You are A Tourist	12
10	23	MOVER OF THE WEEK:   FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS "Dear Mr. President" Album: Pickin' Up the Pieces	3
11	5	Adele - Rolling In the Deep	29
12	8	Cage the Elephant - Around My Head	9
13	7	The Wombats - Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)	11
14	13	Foster the People - Houdini	9
15	12	Adele - Someone Like You	10
16	17	The Strokes - Taken For A Fool	7
17	14	The Vaccines - Post Break-up Sex	16
18	16	Dom - Living In America	12
19	20	Kate Voegele - Heart In Chains	7
20	19	Lady Gaga - Judas	8

21	15	Florence + the Machine - Dog Days are Over	17
22	26	Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean	7
23	24	Fleet Foxes - Battery Kinzie	7
24	27	Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs - Repo Man	6
25	21	Rachel Allyn - Gettin' By	24
26	29	The Raveonettes - Apparitions	5
27	25	Peter Bjorn & John - Dig A Little Deeper	7
28	31	Cold War Kids - Skip the Charades	7
29	33	Neon Trees - Your Surrender	10
30	34	Drive-By Truckers - Everybody Needs Love	9
31	32	Sam Roberts Band - The Last Crusade	6
32	59	Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory	3
33	41	The Black Keys - Everlasting Light	3
34	28	Chk Chik Chick - Wannagain Wannagain	14
35	18	The Raveonettes - Recharge and Revolt	13
36	36	Middle Brother - Me Me Me	9
37	50	Foo Fighters - Walk	3
38	30	Ben Harper - Rock n' Roll is Free	12
39	38	Ke$ha - Blow	6
40	39	Christina Perri - Arms	6
41	37	Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks	23
42	54	Portugal the Man - Got It All	3
43	44	The Kills - Future Starts Slow	5
44	48	Shontelle - Say Hello to Goodbye	5
45	52	Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall	4
46	58	Paramore - Monster	4
47	51	Arcade Fire - Month of May	7
48	----	TOP DEBUT: AVI BUFFALO "How Come" (Single Only)	1
49	57	Gomez - Options	5
50	35	Brother - Darling Buds of May	11
51	49	Scars on 45 - Give Me Something	19
52	62	Flogging Molly - Revolution	4
53	87	Best Coast - Something In The Way	2
54	61	Scotty McCreery - I Love You This Big	5
55	67	Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down "Cause I Moved Your Chair	5
56	81	The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time	2
57	69	Kenny Chesney f. Grace Potter - You & Tequila	4
58	70	Zac Brown Band f Jimmy Buffet - Knee Deep	8
59	43	Mt. Desolation - Bitter Pill	20
60	68	Noah & the Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.	6
61	42	Lucinda Williams - Buttercup	19
62	40	The Drums - The New World	10
63	78	Brett Dennon - Comeback Kid	3
64	53	The Raveonettes - Forget That You're Young	7
65	56	Eddie Vedder - Longing to Belong	9
66	76	Rise Against - Make It Stop	3
67	85	We Are Augustines - Chapel Song	2
68	73	Kings of Leon - Back Down South	3
69	65	Fitz and the Tantrums - Money Grabber	30
70	75	Sublime with Rome - Panic	5
71	60	Leila - Hush Little Baby	19
72	72	Boxer Rebellion - The Runner	7
73	74	Austra - Beat and the Pulse	7
74	80	Los Lonely Boys - Fly Away	10
75	84	Givers - Up Up Up	3
76	46	Michael Franti & Spearhead - I'll Be Waiting	14
77	89	Linkin Park - Iridescent	2
78	----	Plan B- Love Goes Down	1
79	47	Plan B - She Said	8
80	55	Bell X1 - Velcro	10
81	83	311 - Sunset in July	4
82	----	Sleeper Agent - Get It Daddy	1
83	45	The Cars - Sad Song	14
84	66	Augustana - Steal Your Heart	11
85	88	10 Years - Fix Me	4
86	----	Wild Flag - Romance	1
87	63	Telekinesis - Please Ask for Help	12
88	95	The Naked and Famous - Punching In A Dream	2
89	64	Interpol - Try It On	8
90	77	Cold War Kids - Louder Than Ever	25
91	97	Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Paris(ooh lala)	20
92	----	Yacht - Dystopia	1
93	91	Taylor Swift - The Story of Us	3
94	----	KT Tunstall - Glamour Puss	1
95	100	Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight Tonight	2
96	----	The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind	1
97	99	The Belle Brigade - Losers	2
98	86	Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues	21
99	94	Miranda Lambert - Heart Like Mine	4
100	98	Adelitas Way - Sick	3