A Tale of Two Divas (Music Review week of 1/9/2012)

As I slowly get back into the new music scene for 2012 (which I'll touch on later), I wanted to relate an experience from last weekend.     For Christmas this year, I had gotten my wife two concert videos from arguable two of the hottest female performers on the planet in 2011:  Lady Gaga's "Presents the Monster Ball at Madison Square Garden", and Adele's "Live At Royal Albert Hall".  

Now, the first thing you may ask is that these two singers are as alike as day and night.     There's Lady Gaga, the current queen of glam and theatrics, and Adele, stripped down, and intimate.   These two DVD's, which documented a key concert of theirs during 2011 provided much insight on the person making the music as the tune themselves.     Adele, as you'd expect, came on, sitting down on the stage most of the time, delivering her very powerful vocals of songs from her first two albums, along with some very good cover songs.    She joked with her audience a lot.   It's no secret that her current album "21" (still the top seller this week, by the way), was about a broken and lost relationship with an ex, and she made no bones in referring to all her songs as sad.    But at least she had a good sense of humor about it.    There were also scenes in her home that morning of the concert as she got ready, as well as her leaving after a round of applause and an encore which featured her two biggest hits, "Someone Like You" and of course, "Rolling In The Deep".    She communicated very well with her audience.

At the other end of the spectrum was Lady Gaga.    If you have followed my blog, you'll know that may tastes run mainly in alternative rock, but I do have room for some "quality" pop stars, and Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, who took her stage name from a Queen song, does fit into that category.    While many dismiss her as a Madonna knock-off, she has had success these last few years.    The title track from "Born This Way" set became the one thousandth #1 song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.   As you'd expect, the show at the Garden feature Gaga in many costume changes and probably was more suited to a Broadway musical than a concert.   She is pertty adept at what she does.   Unlike Madonna, Gaga off stage is rather unsure of herself, speaks a lot of a hard life in her childhood and seems to be ultra-sensitive.   Without her costumes she comes on very different from the persona she displays on stage.    It is very hard for me not to like Lada Gaga.

Both performers are doing very well on my second edition of SnS.    Adele, whose "Set First to The Rain" is now at #4 on Billboard, has "One and Only" advance a notch to #8 as well as her cover of "Lovesong" moving 37-27 as it tries to become her seventh top 20 song on my chart.   Meanwhile, Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night" moves 38-26 as she shoots for her third top 20 song from her latest album (following "Judas" and The Edge of Glory").

Meanwhile, The Black Keys are still at the top with "Lonely Boy" by a still comfortable margin, with Ellie Goulding and R.E.M. still holding down the top 3.   All three songs, which have or had been at the top, have led the pack for six weeks straight.  "Free" by Graffiti6 seems to be the one to try to crack the top three, possibly next week.     Otherwise, the locals are making good strides in the upper echelon.   Rachel Allyn's "Ain't No Fun" moves 11-9, becoming her fifth straight top 10 hit; only Adele has had more.   If she can crack the top 5 with this fun hoedowner, she'll be 5-for-5 in the top five, something that even Adele hasn't done.    Meanwhile, Omnia's more serious "Change This Place" makes a great move 27-11, and could be her second #1.   The Knux, Lana Del Rey and Kathleen Edwards also hit the Top 20.

It took me awhile to find something really worthy this week, but I finally found it in my Top Debut:  Origins by Tennis, who are a husband and wife (Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore) from Denver.    They are described as "surf pop" and "indie pop", which falls in line with a lot of acts I've been listening too lately.    But there's a still soul mixed in there for good measure.   The album is getting airplay on alternative stations, and their second full-length album, Young and Old, ships next month.   March 3rd is when they will appear at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.  I wonder if they'll ever tour with the band Hockey....   Also entering are follow-up singles by My Morning Jacket and Kelly Clarkson.     "First Light" is the next single from the "Holdin' On To Black Metal", and while its not as immediate as the prior Top 10 SnS song, you get used to it after a few listens.    Just the reverse is true with Clarkson's newest, "Stronger", which, as the title suggests, is just that, when compared to her prior "Mr. Know It All"; it is more catchy and rhythmic.  New stuff by Neon Trees and Band of Skulls also enter the chart.

Briefly, two new songs which i didn't mention last week that I love:  Snow Patrol's "New York" and Grouplove's "Tongue Tied".  Check 'em out!


Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for Week of 1/9/2012:

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	1	THE BLACK KEYS "Lonely Boy" Album: El Camino (3 weeks at #1)	10
2	2	Ellie Goulding - Lights	14
3	3	R.E.M. - We All Go Back To Where We Belong	9
4	6	Graffiti6 - Free	10
5	4	Red Hot Chili Peppers - Monarchy and Roses	10
6	5	Real Estate - It's Real	12
7	7	Phantogram - Don't Move	11
8	9	Adele - One and Only	7
9	11	Rachel Allyn- Ain't No Fun	4
10	8	Mayer Hawthorne - The Walk	13
11	27	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:   OMNIA "Change This Place" Album: The Jailbird EP	4
12	14	Foster the People - Don't Stop (Colors on the Walls)	10
13	10	Blitzen Trapper - Love the Way You Walk Away	15
14	21	The Knux - Razorblade	8
15	34	Lana Del Rey - Video Games	4
16	15	Fleet Foxes - Lorelai	9
17	20	Scars on 45 - Heart on Fire	16
18	23	Kathleen Edwards - Change the Sheets	10
19	13	Katy Perry - The One That Got Away	11
20	12	Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Naughty, Naughty Children	7

 

21	42	Wilco - Dawned On Me	3
22	18	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	26
23	19	Sleeper Agent- That's My Baby	13
24	17	Dum Dum Girls - Coming Down	15
25	24	Warren Haynes - River's Gonna Rise	8
26	38	Lady Gaga - Marry the Night	4
27	37	Adele - Love Song	7
28	16	Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out	12
29	29	Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn	11
30	22	Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing	22
31	26	The Big Troubles - She Smiles for Pictures	11
32	31	Florence + the Machine - What the Water Gave Me	20
33	58	MOVER OF THE WEEK:   FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS "Breaking The Chains of Love" Album: Pickin' Up the Pieces	2
34	30	Carolina Liar - Drown	18
35	39	Atlas Sound - The Shakes	5
36	51	The Kooks - How'd You Like That	3
37	28	Omnia - What's Become of Us?	15
38	32	Portugal. The Man - So American	9
39	33	Zac Brown Band - Keep Me In Mind	12
40	25	Sarah Jean - Hometown	16
41	46	Expensive Looks - Nothing More	6
42	44	Death Cab for Cutie - Home Is A Fire	5
43	47	Martin Solvag & Dragonette - Hello	11
44	35	The Killers - The Cowboys Christmas Ball	6
45	45	Kasabian - Days Are Forgotten	12
46	48	St. Vincent - Cruel	15
47	59	M83 - Midnight City	5
48	62	Sharon Van Etten - Serpents	4
49	49	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Maniac	9
50	36	Adele - I'll Be Waiting	17
51	43	Beirut - Santa Fe	15
52	69	Silversun Pickups - Broken Bottles	2
53	40	Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside - I Swear	20
54	41	Dawes - Time Spent in Los Angeles	14
55	68	Grouplove - Tongue Tied	4
56	72	The Cranberries - Tomorrow	2
57	55	Fun f. Jarelli Monee - We Are Young	6
58	53	Paul Czekaj - My Home New Jersey	16
59	56	Man Man - Knuckle Down	18
60	52	Blink-182 - Up All Night	11
61	61	Deer Tick - Let's All Go To the Bar	6
62	50	Joy Formidable - A Heavy Abacus	9
63	54	Civil Wars - Tracks in the Snow	5
64	63	Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds	6
65	64	First Aid Kit - Lion's Roar	9
66	78	Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks	3
67	60	Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces	23
68	----	TOP DEBUT:   TENNIS "Origins" Album: Young and Old	1
69	100	Snow Patrol - New York	2
70	57	Funeral Party - NYC Moves to the Sound of LA	13
71	70	Rachel Yamagata - Starlight	7
72	----	My Morning Jacket - First Light	1
73	77	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	26
74	----	Kelly Clarkson - Stronger	11
75	86	Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle	7
76	71	Wilco - I Might	24
77	76	Rihanna - We Found Love	9
78	90	Katie Herzig - Free My Mind	2
79	89	Mates of State - Maracas	3
80	67	Fruit Bats - Tangle and Ray	14
81	96	Outasight - Tonight Is the Night	2
82	----	Neon Trees - Everybody Talks	1
83	74	Best Coast - Our Deal	17
84	65	Faith Hill - Come Home	8
85	79	The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue	21
86	84	Foo Fighters - These Days	13
87	81	Rachel Allyn - Lovely Lily	20
88	----	Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour	1
89	83	Cage the Elephant - Aberdeen	19
90	85	Plan B- Love Goes Down	28
91	93	Snow Patrol - Called Out In the Dark	17
92	----	Frank Turner - If I Ever Stray	15
93	----	Shinedown - Bully	1
94	82	Mastodon - Curl of the Burl	4
95	88	Duran Duran - Leave A Light On	14
96	91	Kelly Clarkson - I'll Be Home For Christmas	3
97	66	Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Please Come Home For Christmas	7
98	75	Michael Buble - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas	5
99	92	Anna Calvi - Blackout	21
100	95	Thom Sebastian & the Hounds of Winter - Not Broken	19