We'll start with the Grammys. We knew that we would be in for a good show when artists like Justin Bieber and One Direction weren't even nominated this year. Some of the better pop acts, however, were there, and alternative music got some good recognition.
Let's start with the opening, Taylor Swift's ubiquitous #1 pop hit, "We Are Never, Ever, Getting Back Together". Say what you will about Swift, but this was a nicely orchestrated number. I'm a bit on the fence regarding this singer, going from liking her, to not being able to stand her, to somewhere in the middle. I've blasted this song, as well as her follow-up, "I Knew You Were Trouble" (#24 on SNS this week), but I still find these songs going thru my head, and to be honest, they're really not that bad. I still think she's sold out on her country roots for the pop world, but these are well-made pop crafts, and in that arena, catchy sells.
There were some nice performances by acts that I like, and that includes Mumford & Sons, performing their "I Will Wait", and Jack White doing "Love Interruption" and "Freedom at 21". One pairing that I loved to see was Sting and Bruno Mars. It's not secret that "Locked Up in Heaven" (which jumps into the top 20 this week, see below), resembles Sting's best work with The Police. They performed that song, as well as The Police's "Walking on the Moon".
The two biggest tributes were for the late Levon Helm of The Band, with a group that contained Elton John, the great soulful Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Mavis Staples, and Mumford and Sons, and especially for reggae legend Bob Marley, which featured Sting, Mars, and Rihanna.
There was Alicia Keys, playing on Maroon 5's current hit "Daylight", and Elton joining newcomer Ed Sheeran on his hit "The A Team". Definitely some nice performances that night.
As for the major award winners, Record of the Year went to Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know", both Billboard's and SNS #1 from last year. Album of The Year was Mumford & Sons' well deserved "Babel". Best New Artist, surprisingly went to fun. (Surpringly, only because they didn't expect it, and there were some other worthy nominees). A nice evening.
Now, for the other big event of the weekend, the ski trip to Sugarbush. Run by my friend Anthony Josephs for the third year, it featured about 15 of us, along with a big snowstorm for some great skiing. A nice place to stay, a night out at a club, some dice games and a hot tub were also part of the fun.
And then there was the music. Not as prevalent as last year, but you could put music into three categories: Songs I heard on my iPod that stuck around, songs going thru my head, and finally, song played or talked about by friends.
As you'd expect, my SNS 100 chart was very much influenced by music heard over the weekend, so from the top down, I will talk about the songs that were affected by the trip.
Look no further than the new #1, "Carry On", by New York indie band fun., just off a Best New Artist nod Coming back from skiing on Friday, Anthony, who gets satellite radio, who drove back from the mountain, also had this playing. As was the case with last year's "We Are Young", we talked about how good a song this was, and both songs have hit the zenith on SNS. The intervening song, "Some Night" also hit the top 20. This song, echoing a bit of prog rockers like Yes, hasn't done well on a national level like the others, probably due to the rock guitar towards the end of the song. Top 40, don't you think it's time to give guitar-driven rock a chance again?
Dropping to #2, but only because of the relative strength of the above, is Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, with "Runaway". The Vermonters' latest single when thru my head at times over the weekend, while their last single, "Stars" did as well...it also was played at the lodge where we stayed; that former #1 is still hanging in at #15.
Another "head song" makes a jump from 9 to 3, that being Pink's "Try"....it hogged my mind up much of the weekend, for reasons unknown. It's a good song, though, thus her second top 3 hit and a worthy follow-up to her long-running SNS #1, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)". At #4, another big mover, The Satelliter's "Shake Shake Shake" got some iPod time, while Pageants' "Musing of the Tide" (18-9) was also a "head song".
Veronica Falls, whose "Bad Feeling" was part of last year's trip, is back with "Teenage" (21-13) which got a brief iPod play, but it was Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven" that was the most talked about by the gang during a room party over the weekend. They too, noticed the similarity between that song, and The Police & Sting. It thus jumps 32-16, and right behind was Passion Pit's second consecutive SNS Top 20. "Carried Away" jumps 29-17; I heard the song on great alternative station WEQX while driving northward.
.
Other songs from the ski trip include "Hero" by Family of the Year, heard on WEQX on the way up (55-43), "Spotlight" by Leagues, a song which was on my iPod Friday morning, I liked it to much that I played it several times that day (73-45), and Gig Widmore's "Man Lke That", which reverses course and jumps back from 99 to 87, thanks to a play on Anthony's iPod.
Much of the music heard (aside from classic rock which blared on Anthony's and my iPod) was actually recent stuff, like Foster The People and The Black Keys. However, also on the way back to the lodge from the mountain, Anthony played the two songs by Of Monsters and Men, that I played significantly last year. "Little Talks" and "Mountain Sound" re-enter my chart at #92 and #95, respectively. The former I surprisingly heard on WPLJ several days ago, and it sets a record of sorts. I had added this song on December 19, 2011, making it the first song to appear on my chart three different years.
DIY, INDEED: Rachel Allyn returns to the SNS chart after a very long absence, at a lofty #33, with "Do It Yourself", the title track from her just-released first full-length album. Although many outside of this area, and the Jersey Shore still don't know her, she is the queen on my charts, with four #1's and another top 5 song. I've seen her a countless number of times, although only once with her band, but she's doing rather well on the Jersey Shore circuit these days. Is it bye bye Lake Hopatcong? At any rate, I will review her new album next week, and possibly add another song, but in the meantime, the title track starts off with her trademark fiddles, leading into a mid (and occasionally, up) -tempo trek. Rachel's voice is very forceful as usual, and presentation is a strong one. Check it out!
SCENES'N'SOUNDWAVES 100
February 9, 2013
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
1
|
3
|
NUMBER 1:
FUN.
"Carry On"
Album: Some Nights
|
15
|
2
|
1
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Runaway
|
15
|
3
|
8
|
Pink - Try
|
15
|
4
|
9
|
The Satelliters - Shake Shake Shake
|
12
|
5
|
2
|
Golden Void - The Curve
|
17
|
6
|
11
|
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Holy Roller
|
11
|
7
|
6
|
Leila - Mirror Mirror
|
17
|
8
|
10
|
The Vaccines - I Always Knew
|
12
|
9
|
18
|
Pageants - Musing of the Tide
|
3
|
10
|
5
|
Churchill - Change
|
21
|
11
|
4
|
Generationals - When They Fight They Fight
|
15
|
12
|
7
|
Grizzly Bear - Yet Again
|
19
|
13
|
21
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
VERONICA FALLS
"Teenage"
Album: Waiting for Something to Happen
|
4
|
14
|
12
|
The Killers - I Feel it In My Bones
|
9
|
15
|
13
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Stars
|
21
|
16
|
32
|
Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven
|
4
|
17
|
29
|
Passion Pit - Carried Away
|
9
|
18
|
20
|
Civil Twilight - River
|
16
|
19
|
15
|
Kelly Clarkson - Catch My Breath
|
13
|
20
|
16
|
Gary Clark Jr. Ain't Messin' Around
|
10
|
21
|
26
|
Ed Sheeran - The A Team
|
15
|
22
|
25
|
Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams
|
13
|
23
|
27
|
Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backward
|
8
|
24
|
30
|
Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble
|
7
|
25
|
31
|
Train - Mermaid
|
4
|
26
|
28
|
Maroon 5 - Daylight
|
7
|
27
|
17
|
Dinosaur Jr. - Don't Pretend You Didn't Know
|
16
|
28
|
14
|
ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down
|
20
|
29
|
19
|
The Satelliters - Lost in Time
|
22
|
30
|
23
|
Alabama Shakes - I Ain't The Same
|
16
|
31
|
22
|
Child Actor - If You Loved Me
|
17
|
32
|
33
|
Shinedown - Enemies
|
11
|
33
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
RACHEL ALLYN
"Do It Yourself"
Album: Do It Yourself
|
1
|
34
|
43
|
After the Reign - Jersey Strong
|
3
|
35
|
24
|
The Raveonettes - Curse the Night
|
13
|
36
|
35
|
The Lumineers - Stubborn Love
|
8
|
37
|
36
|
The Mowglis - San Francisco
|
8
|
38
|
46
|
Wild Nothing - Shadow
|
3
|
39
|
34
|
Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love
|
10
|
40
|
47
|
Two Door Cinema Club - Sun
|
3
|
41
|
39
|
Foxygen - Shuggie
|
4
|
42
|
38
|
Dum Dum Girls - Lord Knows
|
7
|
43
|
55
|
Family of the Year - Hero
|
9
|
44
|
37
|
Muse - The Madness
|
19
|
45
|
73
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
LEAGUES
"Spotlight"
Album: You Belong Here
|
2
|
46
|
44
|
Allen Stone - Unaware
|
10
|
47
|
56
|
Neon Trees - Lessons In Love
|
3
|
48
|
49
|
Lifehouse f. Natasha Bedingfield - Between the Raindrops
|
4
|
49
|
42
|
Dirty Beaches - Elizabeth's Theme
|
25
|
50
|
41
|
The Lumineers - Ho Hey
|
31
|
51
|
66
|
Cold War Kids - Miracle Mile
|
2
|
52
|
40
|
Matt & Kim - Let's Go
|
12
|
53
|
53
|
Yeasayer - Reagen's Skeleton
|
9
|
54
|
58
|
Gold Fields - Dark Again
|
4
|
55
|
45
|
The Killers - Miss Atomic Bomb
|
12
|
56
|
57
|
Willy Moon - Yeah Yeah
|
11
|
57
|
59
|
Frank Ocean - Thinking About You
|
7
|
58
|
62
|
The Neighborhood - Sweater Weather
|
4
|
59
|
67
|
Mumford and Sons - Lover of the Light
|
2
|
60
|
48
|
Phillip Phillips - Home
|
36
|
61
|
64
|
Avett Brothers - February Seven
|
3
|
62
|
70
|
Deap Vally - Ain't Far
|
7
|
63
|
69
|
Mister Lie - Pupine
|
3
|
64
|
51
|
Benjamin Gibbard - Teardrop Windows
|
16
|
65
|
63
|
Ke$ha - Die Young
|
9
|
66
|
76
|
Foals - Inhaler
|
2
|
67
|
----
|
Bon Jovi - Because We Can
|
1
|
68
|
52
|
Django Django - Default
|
24
|
69
|
78
|
Alex Clare - Up All Night
|
3
|
70
|
50
|
Adele - Skyfall
|
17
|
71
|
60
|
Rebecca Ferguson - Nothing's Real But Love
|
26
|
72
|
61
|
San Cisco - Awkward
|
11
|
73
|
----
|
Jake Bugg - Two Fingers
|
1
|
74
|
----
|
Jagwar Ma - The Throw
|
1
|
75
|
65
|
Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait
|
25
|
76
|
83
|
The 1975 - Sex
|
3
|
77
|
84
|
Airborne Toxic Event - Timeless
|
2
|
78
|
----
|
Lana Del Ray - Ride
|
1
|
79
|
90
|
Atoms for Peace - Judge, Jury and Executioner
|
2
|
80
|
54
|
Green Day - Let Yourself Go
|
17
|
81
|
71
|
Tegan and Sara - Closer
|
13
|
82
|
82
|
Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
|
8
|
83
|
87
|
Youth Lagoon - Dropola
|
4
|
84
|
89
|
Watch the Duck - Poppin Off
|
2
|
85
|
72
|
Pink - Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
|
30
|
86
|
75
|
Widowspeak - Ballad of the Golden Hour
|
11
|
87
|
99
|
Gin Wigmore - Man Like That
|
11
|
88
|
----
|
Royal Teeth - Wild
|
1
|
89
|
----
|
Paramore - Now
|
1
|
90
|
80
|
Dinosaur Jr. - Pierce the Morning Rain
|
4
|
91
|
----
|
Vicci Martinez - Come Along
|
1
|
92
|
RE ENTRY
|
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
|
26
|
93
|
74
|
The Heavy - What Makes A Good Man
|
32
|
94
|
88
|
Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Bulletproof
|
17
|
95
|
RE ENTRY
|
Of Monsters and Men - Mountain Sound
|
30
|
96
|
93
|
Alpha Rev - Sing Loud
|
3
|
97
|
68
|
Alex Clare - Too Close
|
36
|
98
|
77
|
Silversun Pickups - The Pit
|
20
|
99
|
81
|
Yeasayer - Henrietta
|
24
|
100
|
79
|
Metric - Breathing Underwater
|
20
|
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