Let's face it, guitar-driven rock as far as the pop charts are concerned has been dead for a few years now. I get it. Nowadays it's superficial pop, very disposable, stuff the tweens buy. It makes the Archies look like Jimi Hendrix. I guess what bothers me is that a couple of years ago, it appeared that "real" music was making some sort of a comeback, and that it could at least co-exist with the current trends. "Rolling in the Deep" showed that a song could be appreciated by today's teens. "Pumped Up Kicks", by indie band Foster the People went top 3, which showed that the current form of alternative music could click as well.
2012 rolled around and we had back-to-back number one songs form the Alt-rock stable: fun.'s "We Are Young", and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" combined at the top for over three months. Folky-indie stuff like Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers, and other alternative artists like Alex Clare also hit the top portion of the charts.
And then....nothing. Don't get me wrong, there has been some good, or at least decent stuff at the top, like "We Are Never Getting Back Together" (which I may like or hate in any given week); "One More Night", and "Locked Out of Heaven". So I will give you that. And there is some decent stuff in the national Top 20 as well.
Still, I can't fathom for the likes of me, the current Billboard number one song, "Harlem Shake", by Bauuer, whoever that is. Yes, I know it's the current "craze", but radio isn't playing it, and to be honest, it sounds like a bunch of noises put together. "The Twist" it isn't, but it's not even "Gangnam Style". At least people danced to that one. It's been a few years since I've been invited to a wedding or have gone to some kind of banquet. I guess when that happens, I'll appreciate what kind of impact it will have (or haven't), assuming the deejay plays it.
The #2 song, however, does intrigue me, however. "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis was a former #1 song, but to be honest I don't think I've heard it. I thought this was some kind of hip-hop song and never heard of this act. Well, I'm just giving it a listen. Well, I was right about the hip-hop part, and that explains it. In fact, I thought I was hearing "Harlem Shake" again until they started singing. But you know what? It's pretty catchy, and I plan on adding it next week. But the thing that stopped me in my tracks? It's #19 on the ALTERNATIVE chart. And it's been there for 20 weeks! And peaked at #14. Now, I'm not sure what genre is influencing what. C'est la vie!
After that comes Bruno Mars, "When I Was Your Man". It's the follow-up to "Locked Out of Heaven", which was #1 for weeks. I was late to that party, but I did like that song, peaking it at #3 just last week. It's dropping now (#13 this week on Billboard0 as I'm getting a bit tired of it, so perhaps I will try the new one soon. Trailing Bruno is the latest by Justin Timberlake, "Suit and Tie", which also features Jay-Z. It's Timberlake's first output in a while, and his latest album is poised to sell one million copies in its first week. I'm not a fan of his music, but I do like him, he's upbeat and doesn't take himself too seriously. He is a good actor as well. Rounding out the top 5 is "Stay" by Rihanna, who, like Bruno Mars keeps pumping out the hits, and I am a bit behind in following them. Rihanna is one of my favorite pop stars and her prior hit "Diamonds" spent eight weeks on SNS, peaking at #66.
But, aside from Taylor Swift's former #2 (and #20 SNS), "I Knew You Were Trouble" at #7, and Pink's great new one with Nate Ruess of fun. "Just Give Me A Reason" shooting up to #9, her third top 10 from her latest album, there isn't too much to write home about. The latter song, which follows two Top 2 SNS hits, moves from #70 to #47 here in its second week.
In the teens this week, we do find Maroon 5's "Daylight", which I like better than the first two singles from their latest album. It's number 12 on Billboard, and moves up to #6 here. "Ho Hey" still hanging in there at #13 (it peaked at #3 Billboard, and was Top 20 here, and still on my chart after 36 weeks).
And finally, there's "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons. It's been #1 on the alternative chart for weeks, and #18 on the Hot 100. I just recently re-added the song, and it's #82 this week. I'm learning to like the song. And although it's not alternative, just outside the Top 20 is Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire", which I think I'll add in a week or two.
PEACE AND QUIET? It has been a quite week for debuts on my list this week, at least quality-wise, nothing that really stood out. With Golden Void's "The Curve" still hanging in my Top 20 (I still haven't gotten tired of the song, it still remains me of the Sandy period---I guess I'm "romanticizing" about that troubled period now), I thought I'd pull out another song from their eponymous album. With the prior song still being pursued as the single, I wanted to look for another similar song. I found it in "Shady Grove". It has much of the appeal as "The Curve", but different enough. Unlike the prior song, I really can't draw comparisions to anything 70's, but it still has that "sound", maybe a little like The Who mixed in with a little psychedelia, maybe a bit of Fleet Foxes and Yes also. I like it a lot. I hope this band breaks onto alternative circles soon. If you want to see them live, you have one shot: April 6's at Brooklyn's Union Pool, playing with Pontiak. After that, they're off to Europe.
SCENES'N'SOUNDWAVES 100
March 16, 2013
|
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
1
|
NUMBER ONE:
FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
"Out of My League"
Album: More Than Just A Dream
3 Weeks @ #1
|
5
|
|
2
|
2
|
Pageants - Musing of the Tide
|
8
|
|
3
|
4
|
Rachel Allyn - Do It Yourself
|
6
|
|
4
|
5
|
Veronica Falls - Teenage
|
9
|
|
5
|
6
|
Leagues - Spotlight
|
7
|
|
6
|
7
|
Maroon 5 - Daylight
|
12
|
|
7
|
17
|
Lana Del Ray - Ride
|
6
|
|
8
|
9
|
Wild Nothing - Shadow
|
8
|
|
9
|
3
|
Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven
|
9
|
|
10
|
10
|
Train - Mermaid
|
9
|
|
11
|
8
|
Fun - Carry On
|
20
|
|
12
|
23
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
VICCI MARTINEZ featuring CEE LO GREEN
"Come Along"
Album: Vicci
|
6
|
|
13
|
14
|
Two Door Cinema Club - Sun
|
8
|
|
14
|
11
|
Pink - Try
|
20
|
|
15
|
12
|
The Satelliters - Shake Shake Shake
|
17
|
|
16
|
16
|
Golden Void - The Curve
|
22
|
|
17
|
18
|
After the Reign - Jersey Strong
|
8
|
|
18
|
32
|
Grizzly Bear - Sleeping Ute
|
4
|
|
19
|
13
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Runaway
|
20
|
|
20
|
24
|
The Mowglis - San Francisco
|
13
|
|
21
|
26
|
Lifehouse f. Natasha Bedingfield - Between the Raindrops
|
9
|
|
22
|
19
|
Churchill - Change
|
26
|
|
23
|
27
|
Bon Jovi - Because We Can
|
6
|
|
24
|
28
|
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside - They Told Me
|
5
|
|
25
|
20
|
Civil Twilight - River
|
21
|
|
26
|
15
|
Passion Pit - Carried Away
|
14
|
|
27
|
22
|
Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backward
|
13
|
|
28
|
31
|
Foxygen - Shuggie
|
9
|
|
29
|
21
|
Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble
|
12
|
|
30
|
36
|
Avett Brothers - February Seven
|
8
|
|
31
|
37
|
Paramore - Now
|
6
|
|
32
|
41
|
Django Django - Hail Bop
|
4
|
|
33
|
38
|
The Strokes - All the Time
|
5
|
|
34
|
42
|
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
|
4
|
|
35
|
39
|
Phillip Phillips - Gone Gone Gone
|
5
|
|
36
|
63
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
LEILA
"Monday"
Album: Looking Glass
|
2
|
|
37
|
25
|
Leila - Mirror Mirror
|
22
|
|
38
|
33
|
Generationals - When They Fight They Fight
|
20
|
|
39
|
35
|
Dum Dum Girls - Lord Knows
|
12
|
|
40
|
34
|
Family of the Year - Hero
|
14
|
|
41
|
30
|
The Vaccines - I Always Knew
|
17
|
|
42
|
29
|
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Holy Roller
|
16
|
|
43
|
56
|
Depeche Mode - Heaven
|
3
|
|
44
|
46
|
Yeasayer - Reagen's Skeleton
|
14
|
|
45
|
40
|
Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams
|
18
|
|
46
|
55
|
Phoenix - Entertainment
|
3
|
|
47
|
70
|
Pink f. Nate Ruess - Just Give Me A Reason
|
2
|
|
48
|
50
|
Mumford and Sons - Lover of the Light
|
7
|
|
49
|
45
|
Cold War Kids - Miracle Mile
|
7
|
|
50
|
47
|
The Lumineers - Stubborn Love
|
13
|
|
51
|
43
|
Grizzly Bear - Yet Again
|
24
|
|
52
|
62
|
Pure X - Things In My Head
|
4
|
|
53
|
57
|
Frank Ocean - Thinking About You
|
12
|
|
54
|
68
|
New Politics - Harlem
|
3
|
|
55
|
48
|
Neon Trees - Lessons In Love
|
8
|
|
56
|
44
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Stars
|
26
|
|
57
|
51
|
Ed Sheeran - The A Team
|
20
|
|
58
|
60
|
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
|
31
|
|
59
|
49
|
Kelly Clarkson - Catch My Breath
|
18
|
|
60
|
53
|
Gary Clark Jr. - Ain't Messin' Around
|
15
|
|
61
|
64
|
Deap Vally - Ain't Far
|
12
|
|
62
|
58
|
The Satelliters - Lost in Time
|
27
|
|
63
|
88
|
Dawes - From A Window Seat
|
2
|
|
64
|
65
|
All American Rejects - Heartbeat Slowing Down
|
5
|
|
65
|
76
|
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - We The Common
|
2
|
|
66
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
GOLDEN VOID
"Shady Grove"
Album: Golden Void
|
1
|
|
67
|
52
|
Shinedown - Enemies
|
16
|
|
68
|
61
|
Dinosaur Jr. - Don't Pretend You Didn't Know
|
21
|
|
69
|
54
|
The Killers - I Feel it In My Bones
|
14
|
|
70
|
59
|
Allen Stone - Unaware
|
15
|
|
71
|
72
|
Twenty-One Pilots - Holding On to You
|
4
|
|
72
|
67
|
Jagwar Ma - The Throw
|
6
|
|
73
|
84
|
Wild Belle - Keep You
|
2
|
|
74
|
80
|
The Features - This Disorder
|
2
|
|
75
|
71
|
Tim McGraw - One of Those Nights
|
5
|
|
76
|
86
|
Watch the Duck - Poppin Off
|
7
|
|
77
|
75
|
Gold Fields - Dark Again
|
9
|
|
78
|
66
|
Alabama Shakes - I Ain't The Same
|
21
|
|
79
|
69
|
Toby Keith - Hope on the Rocks
|
5
|
|
80
|
83
|
1939 Ensemble - Sabotage
|
3
|
|
81
|
74
|
Mister Lie - Pupine
|
8
|
|
82
|
91
|
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
|
15
|
|
83
|
73
|
Child Actor - If You Loved Me
|
22
|
|
84
|
87
|
Fall Out Boy - My Song Knows What I Did To You In The Dark
|
4
|
|
85
|
----
|
Serena Ryder - Stompa
|
1
|
|
86
|
77
|
The Lumineers - Ho Hey
|
36
|
|
87
|
98
|
Johnny Marr - Sun & Moon
|
3
|
|
88
|
----
|
Green Day - X-Kid
|
1
|
|
89
|
82
|
Dirty Beaches - Elizabeth's Theme
|
30
|
|
90
|
92
|
Local Natives - Heavy Feet
|
2
|
|
91
|
79
|
The Neighborhood - Sweater Weather
|
9
|
|
92
|
----
|
Shout Out Louds - Illusions
|
1
|
|
93
|
81
|
Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love
|
15
|
|
94
|
90
|
Postal Service - A Tattered Line of String
|
3
|
|
95
|
97
|
The Script f. will.i.am - Hall of Fame
|
7
|
|
96
|
----
|
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street
|
1
|
|
97
|
----
|
Deathfix - Better Than Bad
|
1
|
|
98
|
78
|
ZZ Ward - Put the Gun Down
|
25
|
|
99
|
----
|
Chelsea Light Moving - Groovy and Linda
|
1
|
|
100
|
----
|
Walk of the Earth - Red Hands
|
1
|
