WHAT HAPPENED? So, after reading the title of this blog, what am I talking about? Well, to be honest, I am feeling that there's a void of new, worthy music to talk about lately. A lot of the stuff out there isn't really doing for me. But I think I need to refine that. Nothing really new is doing it for me. Well, to be even more specific, no new bands really worth talking about. Seems like I've had to go back to artists that I have listened to before and pluck out other songs from current releases to satisfy me.
If you don't believe me, just look at my Top 20 this week. Fourteen of the Top 20 have been by acts that have been there previously. And, of the six, one, Vicci Martinez, features a person who has been there before (Cee Lo Green), one act well established before my blog came into being (Lifehouse), and an-already-established pop star (Bruno Mars). Only The Moglis, Leagues, and Golden Void, are newbies, and the latter have been in my Top 20 forever, as that sound still is so fresh in my mind. So, what's the problem?
Part of it is the complacency of radio. And I'm not talking about the pop stuff I discussed last week; I'm referring to Alternative radio stations. Let's look at the upper echelon of Billboard's chart. Four songs on that chart's Top 10 have been on that chart for 30 weeks or more (and another at 29), including the current #1, Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", which I had recently readded, but is way down there at #74 on my list. It's an OK song, but there's not really an exciting aspect to it. I tried to like "Madness" by Muse, it was a lot of people's favorites and was #1 on Billboard's alt chart for awhile, but I could only get it to #37 here after a 23 week run. They can do better. "Trojans" by Atlas Genius, which is #10 on Billboard's alt chart after 45 weeks, could only manage five weeks on my chart and didn't get higher than #75. Only "Mountain Sound" by Of Monsters and Men (which racked up 34 chart weeks and made my year end list for 2012) , and "The Pit" by Silversun Pickups, which did make my Top 20 are the only long-runners that have made any appreciable impact upon my ears.
But the quality of the music isn't the only thing here. If alternative rock is the epitome of "cutting edge" music, why are radio stations sitting on these older songs for so long? Much of the Top 10 should be fresh new songs that have been on the chart in single digit weeks, but only "Up In the Air" by Thirty Seconds to Mars (#8, 2nd week on Billboard), fits that description. Granted, alternative, like other forms of new rock has been on the wane in recent years, but the success of Gotye, fun., The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons, should have at least opened up some doors.
Perhaps, another reason is the lack of resources I have for exploring new music. During the two and a half years I've been doing this, I have been relaying on friends' recommendations, the Billboard charts, the playlist of WEQX, the "Alternate Side" of Top 20 albums, and the new music site RCRD LBL. However, very few friends have been posting new music lately, RCRD LBL has been lacking downloadable songs, and as I mentioned earlier, the list of "interesting" songs on the radio hitting the charts.
One requirement for a song to reach my chart is that it must be made available as a download. The songs go into my iPod, to a "Currents" playlist (my current SNS top 100), with another "Current Top 20" reflecting my favorites of the week. I know there are music services out there like Spotify, and I have briefly tried them, but I am still not comprehending what it's all about. Many of them contain "radio stations" that play the music you like, plus suggest other bands based on your taste; thus there might be something to offer there. I also know there is a site called "Indie Music Reviewer" that does contain new downloads to check out as well . If any of you out there know of any other places that you've been discovering worthy new music, please feel freeto share it with me.
DEBUT OUT OF VIEW: You can see this in the new music I've added this week. In fact, many of the songs didn't even make my Top 100. The top debuts are again, bands that I've listened to before. Third songs from the latest albums by Alabama Shakes and Of Mountains and Men are the top debuts. The only "new" band that I discovered worth adding this week is "Last of the Summer Wine" by Palma Violets. They are a quartet from London with a fresh sound. Hints of psychedelic and garage rock, Doors, and maybe some Psychedelic Furs, as well as some hints of Pink Floyd towards the end of this record make it worth the while. The song is from their debut, 180, which came out at the end of February. They will be in these parts on May 9 and 10 at Brooklyn's Music Hall and Manhattan's The Bowery, respectively. If you're looking for something new, there's the place to go.
I've also added the latest Bruno Mars and Alicia Keys hits, the latter has been on my mind for a while. Ms. Key is very talented and has been very visible this year, including singing the National Anthem at this year's Super Bowl. Gotta love her.
SCENES'N'SOUNDWAVES 100
March 30, 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
5 Weeks @ #1
|
7
|
|
2
|
2
|
Pageants - Musing of the Tide
|
10
|
|
3
|
7
|
Lana Del Ray - Ride
|
8
|
|
4
|
5
|
Leagues - Spotlight
|
9
|
|
5
|
4
|
Veronica Falls - Teenage
|
11
|
|
6
|
3
|
Rachel Allyn - Do It Yourself
|
8
|
|
7
|
6
|
Maroon 5 - Daylight
|
14
|
|
8
|
12
|
Vicci Martinez f. Cee Lo Green- Come Along
|
8
|
|
9
|
10
|
Train - Mermaid
|
11
|
|
10
|
8
|
Wild Nothing - Shadow
|
10
|
|
11
|
13
|
Two Door Cinema Club - Sun
|
10
|
|
12
|
11
|
Fun - Carry On
|
22
|
|
13
|
36
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
LEILA
"Monday"
Album: Looking Glass
|
4
|
|
14
|
18
|
Grizzly Bear - Sleeping Ute
|
6
|
|
15
|
9
|
Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven
|
11
|
|
16
|
21
|
Lifehouse f. Natasha Bedingfield - Between the Raindrops
|
11
|
|
17
|
24
|
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside - They Told Me
|
7
|
|
18
|
16
|
Golden Void - The Curve
|
24
|
|
19
|
20
|
The Mowglis - San Francisco
|
15
|
|
20
|
32
|
Django Django - Hail Bop
|
6
|
|
21
|
23
|
Bon Jovi - Because We Can
|
8
|
|
22
|
15
|
The Satelliters - Shake Shake Shake
|
19
|
|
23
|
34
|
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
|
6
|
|
24
|
14
|
Pink - Try
|
22
|
|
25
|
47
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
P!NK featuring NATE RUESS
"Just Give Me A Reason"
Album: The Truth About Love
|
4
|
|
26
|
31
|
Paramore - Now
|
8
|
|
27
|
30
|
Avett Brothers - February Seven
|
10
|
|
28
|
22
|
Churchill - Change
|
28
|
|
29
|
33
|
The Strokes - All the Time
|
7
|
|
30
|
35
|
Phillip Phillips - Gone Gone Gone
|
7
|
|
31
|
19
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Runaway
|
22
|
|
32
|
27
|
Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backward
|
15
|
|
33
|
25
|
Civil Twilight - River
|
23
|
|
34
|
28
|
Foxygen - Shuggie
|
11
|
|
35
|
17
|
After the Reign - Jersey Strong
|
10
|
|
36
|
43
|
Depeche Mode - Heaven
|
5
|
|
37
|
46
|
Phoenix - Entertainment
|
5
|
|
38
|
26
|
Passion Pit - Carried Away
|
16
|
|
39
|
39
|
Dum Dum Girls - Lord Knows
|
14
|
|
40
|
29
|
Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble
|
14
|
|
41
|
44
|
Yeasayer - Reagen's Skeleton
|
16
|
|
42
|
38
|
Generationals - When They Fight They Fight
|
22
|
|
43
|
54
|
New Politics - Harlem
|
5
|
|
44
|
40
|
Family of the Year - Hero
|
16
|
|
45
|
37
|
Leila - Mirror Mirror
|
24
|
|
46
|
52
|
Pure X - Things In My Head
|
6
|
|
47
|
41
|
The Vaccines - I Always Knew
|
19
|
|
48
|
66
|
Golden Void - Shady Grove
|
3
|
|
49
|
45
|
Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams
|
20
|
|
50
|
42
|
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Holy Roller
|
18
|
|
51
|
48
|
Mumford and Sons - Lover of the Light
|
9
|
|
52
|
53
|
Frank Ocean - Thinking About You
|
14
|
|
53
|
73
|
Wild Belle - Keep You
|
4
|
|
54
|
49
|
Cold War Kids - Miracle Mile
|
9
|
|
55
|
63
|
Dawes - From A Window Seat
|
4
|
|
56
|
50
|
The Lumineers - Stubborn Love
|
15
|
|
57
|
65
|
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - We The Common
|
4
|
|
58
|
61
|
Deap Vally - Ain't Far
|
14
|
|
59
|
51
|
Grizzly Bear - Yet Again
|
26
|
|
60
|
55
|
Neon Trees - Lessons In Love
|
10
|
|
61
|
58
|
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
|
33
|
|
62
|
56
|
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Stars
|
28
|
|
63
|
62
|
The Satelliters - Lost in Time
|
29
|
|
64
|
76
|
Watch the Duck - Poppin Off
|
9
|
|
65
|
74
|
The Features - This Disorder
|
4
|
|
66
|
64
|
All American Rejects - Heartbeat Slowing Down
|
7
|
|
67
|
60
|
Gary Clark Jr. - Ain't Messin' Around
|
17
|
|
68
|
59
|
Kelly Clarkson - Catch My Breath
|
20
|
|
69
|
57
|
Ed Sheeran - The A Team
|
22
|
|
70
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
ALABAMA SHAKES
"Hang Loose"
Album: Boys & Girls
|
1
|
|
71
|
85
|
Serena Ryder - Stompa
|
3
|
|
72
|
81
|
Mister Lie - Pupine
|
10
|
|
73
|
----
|
Of Monsters and Men - King & Lionheart
|
1
|
|
74
|
82
|
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
|
17
|
|
75
|
72
|
Jagwar Ma - The Throw
|
8
|
|
76
|
71
|
Twenty-One Pilots - Holding On to You
|
6
|
|
77
|
80
|
1939 Ensemble - Sabotage
|
5
|
|
78
|
68
|
Dinosaur Jr. - Don't Pretend You Didn't Know
|
23
|
|
79
|
70
|
Allen Stone - Unaware
|
17
|
|
80
|
67
|
Shinedown - Enemies
|
18
|
|
81
|
87
|
Johnny Marr - Sun & Moon
|
5
|
|
82
|
84
|
Fall Out Boy - My Song Knows What I Did To You In The Dark
|
6
|
|
83
|
75
|
Tim McGraw - One of Those Nights
|
7
|
|
84
|
88
|
Green Day - X-Kid
|
3
|
|
85
|
79
|
Toby Keith - Hope on the Rocks
|
7
|
|
86
|
----
|
Palma Violets - Last of the Summer Wine
|
1
|
|
87
|
92
|
Shout Out Louds - Illusions
|
3
|
|
88
|
----
|
Bruno Mars - When I Was Your Man
|
1
|
|
89
|
78
|
Alabama Shakes - I Ain't The Same
|
23
|
|
90
|
96
|
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street
|
3
|
|
91
|
91
|
The Neighborhood - Sweater Weather
|
11
|
|
92
|
89
|
Dirty Beaches - Elizabeth's Theme
|
32
|
|
93
|
77
|
Gold Fields - Dark Again
|
11
|
|
94
|
----
|
Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire
|
1
|
|
95
|
97
|
Deathfix - Better Than Bad
|
3
|
|
96
|
83
|
Child Actor - If You Loved Me
|
24
|
|
97
|
69
|
The Killers - I Feel it In My Bones
|
16
|
|
98
|
----
|
Frank Turner - Recovery
|
1
|
|
99
|
99
|
Chelsea Light Moving - Groovy and Linda
|
3
|
|
100
|
100
|
Walk of the Earth - Red Hands
|
3
|
TREMORS:
101. Postal Service, A Tattered Line of String
102. Matt Hires, Restless Heart
103. Matt & Kim, It's Alright
104. The Script featuring will.i.am, Hall of Fame
105. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Thrift Shop
106. Local Natives, Heavy Feet
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