We're Making Mood Music! (Music Review 1/16/2012)

During the past week, I finally starting diving into the current and new music as we make our way well into the New Year now.   I was worried that there would be a void of good stuff, as, after a fantastic fall, things seemed to wane a bit.    Last year at this time, I was gaga (with a small 'g') over "MoneyGrabber", "Rolling in the Deep", "Firework", and "Down by the Water".   This year, although my Top 3 stayed stable for weeks (ending this week, see below) with "Lonely Boy", "Lights", and "We All Go Back...", perhaps it didn't seem the same, although all three, especially the sentiment R.E.M. song has been going thru my mind.   

It's no secret that music tends to play with your emotions, and that your mood can be changed by what you listen to.   But, can it work the other way around?    Can an event or a friend in your life alter how you perceive a song?    Obviously, the lyrics can hold the key; you can adjust them to fit your "situation", but how about the tone of the tune, the instrumentation, its soul, etc?      When the emotions run high, lots of songs seem to stand out, whether they are oldies you loved (and don't get tired of), or some new stuff that you can associate it with.     For me, a lot of new stuff, even those a few weeks old that I had overlooked in recent weeks, were seen in a new light.     New stuff by Omnia, Tennis, Atlas Sound, Sharon Van Etten,. The Cranberries, and Grouplove definitely fell into this category and take some big jumps.    Many of these, I have played over and over on my iPod last week.    Music makes memories, and vice versa.    I think 2012 is off to a pretty good start.

Anyway, The Black Keys remain on top for a fourth non-consecutive week with "Lonely Boy", it's the second time they've been on top that long, having also done so with "Tighten Up" from their previous album Brothers.   They join Fitz & the Tantrums as the only acts so far that have had a pair of four weekers.     Only one song has been on top longer, "What's In it For?" by Avi Buffalo which enjoyed a five week run in the fall of 2010.     Can The Keys tie it?    They still have a good lead on the competition, but may be challenged as early as next week.

That's because Rachel Allyn's "Ain't No Fun" jumps from 9-3, becoming her fifth consecutive top 5 hit, and surpassing her last single, "Lovely Lily" which peaked at #5, breaking a string of three consecutive #1's.   Rachel is really having a good time on this record and was one of the songs going thru my head in the past week.    Another song growing on me this week is "Change This Place" by Omnia, the only new entry in the Top 10 at #7.  

Some new entries in the top 20, are Wilco's follow-up to their recent #1,  "Dawned on Me", plus last week's debut and Pick, Tennis' Origins, making a big jump from #68 to #17.  Played that one many times this past week.  Atlas Sound also perks up after stuttering for a few weeks going from 35-18.  Finally, Lady Gaga has her third top 20 from her recent album (fourth overall), with "Marry the Night", interesting in that the song drops from her #29 peak on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking her string of Top 10 songs.  

A plethoria of new stuff this week:   The Shins, the inide-rock/dream pop quinet from New Mexico are back with the lead single from their forthcoming album, Port of Morrow, called "Simple Song".   It's their first album in over five years.  Their 2006 set Wincing the Night Away, produced their most successful song to date, "Phantom Limb", a regular on my iPod.    The wait is worth it.   The song is what you'd expect from them and is my Top Debut at #62.   The album drops in March, and is their first on Columbia Records, having left the Sub Pop fold.    They will be touring in 2012 and 2013, some West Coast dates in April have been announced, with more to come.

I mentioned Avi Buffalo earlier, a band which has been compared favorably to The Shins.    The keyboardist on "What's In It For?", Rebecca Coleman, left that band in December 2010 to form a new band called Pageants.    Last week, they released a master of what will be their first single, "Edible Rust", debuting at #67.   To me, her work was a significant part of the appeal of that #2 song in my 2010 Top 100 list, and there's more of that dazzling pop stuff displayed here.   A song to watch.     Florence + the Machine's third track from Ceremonials, "No Light, No Light" also enters at #66 as that band goes for their fifth straight top 10.

But wait, there's more.    It seems like we just heard from Train.   After all, their title track from their last set, "Save Me San Francisco" had a two week run at the top of SnS last summer, but remember that the album came out in 2009!   So, it's time for a new single.  "Drive By" is a good uptempo song, that was impressionable upon first listen.    It's prospects are good.    The song will be from an upcoming album to be released later this year.   Coldplay's latest "Charlie Brown", their third single from their current album enters at #79.  

Finally, The Rapture, a band based in New York that mixes traditional indie-rock with electronic beats, comes in at #77 with "How Deep is Your Love" (not the Bee Gees song).  They'll be playing various places in their hometown this week if you want to catch them.  In the Grace of Your Love is their latest, released last fall.


Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for week of January 16, 2012:

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	1	THE BLACK KEYS "Lonely Boy" Album: El Camino (4 weeks at #1)	11
2	2	Ellie Goulding - Lights	15
3	9	Rachel Allyn- Ain't No Fun	5
4	3	R.E.M. - We All Go Back To Where We Belong	10
5	4	Graffiti6 - Free	11
6	8	Adele - One and Only	8
7	11	Omnia- Change This Place	5
8	5	Red Hot Chili Peppers - Monarchy and Roses	11
9	7	Phantogram - Don't Move	12
10	6	Real Estate - It's Real	13
11	10	Mayer Hawthorne - The Walk	14
12	15	Lana Del Rey - Video Games	5
13	14	The Knux - Razorblade	9
14	21	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:   WILCO "Dawned On Me" Album: The Whole Love	4
15	12	Foster the People - Don't Stop (Colors on the Walls)	11
16	13	Blitzen Trapper - Love the Way You Walk Away	16
17	68	MOVER OF THE WEEK:     TENNIS "Origins" Album: Young & Old	2
18	35	Atlas Sound - The Shakes	6
19	27	Adele - Love Song	8
20	26	Lady Gaga - Marry the Night	5

21	16	Fleet Foxes - Lorelai	10
22	18	Kathleen Edwards - Change the Sheets	11
23	17	Scars on 45 - Heart on Fire	17
24	33	Fitz and the Tantrums - Breaking The Chains of Love	3
25	36	The Kooks - How'd You Like That	4
26	48	Sharon Van Etten - Serpents	5
27	56	The Cranberries - Tomorrow	3
28	22	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	27
29	24	Dum Dum Girls - Coming Down	16
30	52	Silversun Pickups - Broken Bottles	3
31	23	Sleeper Agent- That's My Baby	14
32	25	Warren Haynes - River's Gonna Rise	9
33	55	Grouplove - Tongue Tied	5
34	41	Expensive Looks - Nothing More	7
35	43	Martin Solvag & Dragonette - Hello	12
36	29	Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn	12
37	32	Florence + the Machine - What the Water Gave Me	21
38	47	M83 - Midnight City	6
39	19	Katy Perry - The One That Got Away	12
40	20	Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Naughty, Naughty Children	8
41	31	The Big Troubles - She Smiles for Pictures	12
42	42	Death Cab for Cutie - Home Is A Fire	6
43	28	Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out	13
44	30	Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing	23
45	34	Carolina Liar - Drown	19
46	39	Zac Brown Band - Keep Me In Mind	13
47	37	Omnia - What's Become of Us?	16
48	38	Portugal. The Man - So American	10
49	45	Kasabian - Days Are Forgotten	13
50	69	Snow Patrol - New York	3
51	49	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Maniac	10
52	40	Sarah Jean - Hometown	17
53	57	Fun f. Jarelli Monee - We Are Young	7
54	46	St. Vincent - Cruel	16
55	66	Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks	4
56	53	Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside - I Swear	21
57	50	Adele - I'll Be Waiting	18
58	54	Dawes - Time Spent in Los Angeles	15
59	61	Deer Tick - Let's All Go To the Bar	7
60	64	Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds	7
61	74	Kelly Clarkson - Stronger	8
62	----	TOP DEBUT:   THE SHINS "Simple Song" Album: Port of Morrow	5
63	59	Man Man - Knuckle Down	19
64	51	Beirut - Santa Fe	16
65	58	Paul Czekaj - My Home New Jersey	17
66	----	Florence + the Machine - No Light, No Light	1
67	----	Pagents - Edible Rust	1
68	65	First Aid Kit - Lion's Roar	10
69	72	My Morning Jacket - First Light	2
70	60	Blink-182 - Up All Night	12
71	63	Civil Wars - Tracks in the Snow	6
72	62	Joy Formidable - A Heavy Abacus	10
73	44	The Killers - The Cowboys Christmas Ball	7
74	67	Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces	24
75	----	Train - Drive By	5
76	73	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	27
77	----	The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love	11
78	82	Neon Trees - Everybody Talks	2
79	----	Coldplay - Charlie Brown	1
80	71	Rachel Yamagata - Starlight	8
81	75	Bombay Bicycle Club - Shuffle	8
82	79	Mates of State - Maracas	4
83	81	Outasight - Tonight Is the Night	3
84	----	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Heat Attachk	16
85	70	Funeral Party - NYC Moves to the Sound of LA	14
86	76	Wilco - I Might	25
87	78	Katie Herzig - Free My Mind	3
88	88	Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour	2
89	92	Frank Turner - If I Ever Stray	7
90	93	Shinedown - Bully	2
91	86	Foo Fighters - These Days	14
92	77	Rihanna - We Found Love	10
93	85	The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue	22
94	87	Rachel Allyn - Lovely Lily	21
95	80	Fruit Bats - Tangle and Ray	15
96	90	Plan B- Love Goes Down	29
97	83	Best Coast - Our Deal	18
98	84	Faith Hill - Come Home	9
99	89	Cage the Elephant - Aberdeen	20
100	91	Snow Patrol - Called Out In the Dark	18