"Popular" One More Time (Music Review 2/6/2012)

The good news is that I didn't wait until Friday this week.  I compiled my chart on Tuesday and here it is Wednesday that I hope I get this out.     The down side to this is that I really haven't had a chance to listen to recent music since I got out my prior blog Friday night and Saturday morning.

Let's get right to the Top Debut, which is "Waiting for Something" by Nada Surf.   It comes from the New York City band's album, The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy, released a few weeks ago.   This is their eight studio set.    It is currently ranked the #1 album on The Alternate Side, a program which airs here in the metropolitan area on WFUV.  

To be honest, for weeks, I passed up on this album, but I don't know why.    I knew the name Nada Surf because I believe I have one of their albums (they began in the 1990's).    There were, in the last half of that decade a lot of "one-off novelty" bands that were played on Modern Rock stations back then, like Kula Shaker, Nerf Herder, Lit, Len and a few more....you know, stuff that counter-balanced the post-grunge and the burgeoning Nu Metal movements prevalent at the time.    And I just figured Nada Surf was one of them.

Then I realized that the song I remember from them was "Popular", a Billboard #11 Modern Rock hit, from their debut album, 1996's "High/Low".    And I remembered, I LOVED that song.  The song reached #14 on my year-end list for that year.    It was post-grunge heaven, even if the song as slightly on the novelty side--which may explain why they didn't have another hit.  Two other albums, most recently 2008's Lucky did hit the charts, and their current set rests at #86 on Billboard's album chart.  

Nada Surf's "Popular" from 1996:

If you liked "Popular", you won't be disappointed in the new single.   It's not as grungy, and has enough of a pop/indie-rock influence that you will be into it.    They are currently touring Europe, but by late March, they'll be back in this country.   Locals will want to save April 7, as the band will be playing New York's Webster Hall, with a gig in Brooklyn the next day.

AT THE TOP:  Tennis' "Origins" spends a second week at the top, with Rachel Allyn's "Ain't No Fun" not that far behind, although "The Shakes" by Atlas Sound and "Tomorrow" by The Cranberries are breathing down her neck.   This movement drops both Omnia and Adele down a notch.   The Omnia track "Change This Place", I actually like better than her "What's Become of Us" even though the latter hit #1 and this song may just peak at #4.    Omnia announced that she was in the process of making a video for her "Grace" song which is also on her Jailbird EP, which will be her new single.    That track, added when I downloaded "What's Become of Us", reached #34 but I will catch another look at it once the video becomes reality.     Two songs jump from outside the top 20 into the top 10:  Rapture's excellent "How Deep Is Your Love" and Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger", the latter becoming her third #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 this week.

Because of the short interval between last week and this, none of the several high debuts last week move up that much.   The Black Keys "Gold On the Ceiling" moves 60-40 to become the Mover of the Week, but the others will need another week of listening.    Debuting aside from Nada Surf include Civil Twilight, an alt-rock band originally from Cape Town, South Africa ("Fire Escape"),  Cloud Nothings, an indie-rock outfit from Cleveland ("Stay Useless"), and I'm even adding veteran Bonnie Raitt with her rendition of the late Gerry Rafferty's "Right Down the Line".

Thursday after work it's a long trip up to Lake Placid to go skiing with friends.    I'm not sure of the new music or current stuff that I will associate with on the trip, but I will be passing through the coverage of WEQX based in Manchester VT and Albany NY, so perhaps there will be some refreshing new music or at least current stuff I'm listening to.   But my iPod will be with me, and I will be reporting any standouts next week.   

Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for Week of February 6, 2012:

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	1	TENNIS "Origins" Album: Young & Old (2 weeks at #1)	5
2	2	Rachel Allyn- Ain't No Fun	8
3	3	Atlas Sound - The Shakes	9
4	6	The Cranberries - Tomorrow	6
5	4	Omnia- Change This Place	8
6	5	Adele - One and Only	11
7	8	Wilco - Dawned On Me	7
8	9	Sharon Van Etten - Serpents	8
9	26	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:   THE RAPTURE "How Deep is Your Love" Album: In the Grace of Your Love	4
10	21	Kelly Clarkson - Stronger	5
11	14	Grouplove - Tongue Tied	8
12	16	Adele - Love Song	11
13	17	The Kooks - How'd You Like That	7
14	10	Mayer Hawthorne - The Walk	17
15	11	The Knux - Razorblade	12
16	7	The Black Keys - Lonely Boy	14
17	12	Red Hot Chili Peppers - Monarchy and Roses	14
18	19	Lady Gaga - Marry the Night	8
19	20	Silversun Pickups - Broken Bottles	6
20	22	Fitz and the Tantrums - Breaking The Chains of Love	6

21	15	Lana Del Rey - Video Games	8
22	13	Ellie Goulding - Lights	18
23	28	Snow Patrol - New York	6
24	18	R.E.M. - We All Go Back To Where We Belong	13
25	34	Pageants - Edible Rust	4
26	27	Blitzen Trapper - Love the Way You Walk Away	19
27	29	Martin Solvag & Dragonette - Hello	15
28	31	M83 - Midnight City	9
29	25	Real Estate - It's Real	16
30	23	Phantogram - Don't Move	15
31	33	Expensive Looks - Nothing More	10
32	38	Fun f. Jarelli Monee - We Are Young	10
33	24	Graffiti6 - Free	14
34	37	Florence + the Machine - No Light, No Light	4
35	32	Kathleen Edwards - Change the Sheets	14
36	40	Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks	7
37	41	The Shins - Simple Song	4
38	30	Foster the People - Don't Stop (Colors on the Walls)	14
39	36	Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn	15
40	60	MOVER OF THE WEEK:   THE BLACK KEYS "Gold On the Ceiling" Album: El Camino	2
41	35	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	30
42	52	Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know	3
43	39	Fleet Foxes - Lorelai	13
44	50	My Morning Jacket - First Light	5
45	49	Train - Drive By	4
46	42	Dum Dum Girls - Coming Down	19
47	54	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Heart Attack	4
48	43	Scars on 45 - Heart on Fire	20
49	44	Florence + the Machine - What the Water Gave Me	24
50	45	Warren Haynes - River's Gonna Rise	12
51	68	Veronica Falls - Bad Feeling	3
52	46	The Big Troubles - She Smiles for Pictures	15
53	48	Death Cab for Cutie - Home Is A Fire	9
54	57	Coldplay - Charlie Brown	4
55	62	Sarah Jean - At Last	2
56	58	Sleeper Agent - Get Burned	9
57	61	Dr. Dog - That Old Black Hole	3
58	66	Bush - Baby Come Home	2
59	47	Sleeper Agent- That's My Baby	17
60	51	Kasabian - Days Are Forgotten	16
61	69	Madonna - Give Me All Your Luvin'	2
62	82	Caveman - Old Friend	2
63	53	Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds	10
64	59	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	30
65	76	Wild Nothing - Nowhere	2
66	55	Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing	26
67	----	TOP DEBUT:     NADA SURF "Waiting For Something" Album: The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy	1
68	56	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Maniac	13
69	72	Neon Trees - Everybody Talks	5
70	65	Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out	16
71	77	Heartless Bastards - Parted Ways	3
72	80	Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour	5
73	63	Carolina Liar - Drown	22
74	81	Frank Turner - If I Ever Stray	4
75	86	Zac Brown Band - No Hurry	3
76	64	Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside - I Swear	24
77	84	Mates of State - Maracas	7
78	67	Omnia - What's Become of Us?	19
79	89	Jack White - Love Interruption	2
80	----	Civil Twilight - Fire Escape	1
81	71	Sarah Jean - Hometown	20
82	73	Zac Brown Band - Keep Me In Mind	16
83	91	The Features - Big mama Gonna hip	2
84	----	Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless	1
85	92	Bon Iver - Holocene	2
86	74	Dawes - Time Spent in Los Angeles	18
87	83	Paul Czekaj - My Home New Jersey	20
88	----	Bonnie Raitt - Right Down The Line	1
89	70	Katy Perry - The One That Got Away	15
90	79	Man Man - Knuckle Down	22
91	87	Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces	27
92	95	Gary Clark Jr - Bright Lights	2
93	78	Deer Tick - Let's All Go To the Bar	10
94	----	Blink 182 - After Midnight	1
95	75	Portugal. The Man - So American	13
96	85	St. Vincent - Cruel	19
97	88	Outasight - Tonight Is the Night	6
98	90	Adele - I'll Be Waiting	21
99	98	Wilco - I Might	28
100	93	Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Naughty, Naughty Children	11