Un-VEILED: At the top for the third straight week are The Veils, and "Through the Deep Dark Wood". Unlike some of the other chart toppers lately, I'm not really getting much interest in this exciting psych-rock song. I've compared the London-based indie rockers to other new bands I've been listening to, such as Golden Void, Grizzly Bear, and a few others. Only Grizzly Bear seemed to be getting some notice, but this quintet deserves to, also. They're touring in Europe right now; hopefully they'll be in the states, soon.
A couple of pop-oriented songs are next. Pink holds at #2 with her duet with fun front man Nate Ruess. Pink, to me, is an underrated singer, often lumped in with the divas on the modern era, but unlike those peers, has a bit of a rock sensibility. Calvin Harris, at #3 is an accomplished producer, and is one of those artists who is more behind the scenes. Florence Welch, who leads her own Florence + the Machine, is the guest vocalist on this one. It's peaked nationally, but it's still gathering steam here on SNS. I always loved her vocals, and they fit in very nice with Harris' arrangement. And I have to admit and that best part of the song is the techno-break after every chorus.
Inching up to #4 is "Even Better Than Before", local artist Paul Czekaj's ode to those who suffered losses at the hands of last October's Hurricane Sandy. I was proud to include some pictures I took when I was down there both in November and February. It's always gratifying to see songs about our state. I remember back in the early 1980's, that local rock station played a song by Phil Bernardi, called "I Like Jersey Best", extolling the best features of the Garden State. Czekaj's two "My Home New Jersey" songs recalled that effort, but in the video age, has the advantage of sights, as well as sounds, of the state. And as far as support goes, you can't forget After The Reign's most recent effort, "Jersey Strong". You can catch Czekaj around the Lake Hopatcong area. He frequently plays in Stanhope and the surrounding areas. Finally, he has released a new video, "At the Shore", a positive, up-beat experience of the best region the state has to offer. He released the video last week, and has just released the song to iTunes. You can expect a nice debut next week.
The two oldest songs in my Top 20 are at #5 and #6: Lana Del Rey's "Ride", and Fitz & the Tantrum's "Out of My League". The former has been lingering in my top 5 because the powerful delivery in her vocals just never gets tiring, especially the middle bridge and the final chorus. Her new one "Young and Beautiful" (73-45) is the same way. As for Fitz & the Tantrums, one of my favorite bands in the SNS era, the song, of course is good, and continues to rise on both the Alternative and Triple-A radio charts. One of my criterion as to how a song charts on my list, aside from the obvious "Do I Like It"?, is "who likes it", and "where did I like it". Hearing a song somewhere other than home or work can give it an extra oomph to it. And who likes it is important as well. As this band hasn't really broken to the next level yet (they deservedly do), it's a couple of friends liking them that just added to their appeal to me. Karen Barrett Rotunda last year, and now Meg Hunsicker are two friends who have embraced this band. Those disappointed in that the band had moved slightly away from the vintage soul sound of their previous set, need only to listen to Adele's "21", which is still high on the album charts. That, too, was a compromise between the current style and vintage soul of her earlier 19 effort. I really hope I catch the guys and Joelle soon. They have several area dates, mostly opening up for Bruno Mars, but some with the Dave Matthews Band are probably more my speed. My pick would be July 2 at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, in Bethel New York (the Woodstock site).
One song that I couldn't get out of my brain the past week is "San Francisco" by Foxygen. Yes, I know there's another song with that title that is currently charting, by The Moglis, which also recently hit my top 20. But, like The Veils above, this is a band recommended by my friend Brian Sniatkowski. They have made some inroads in indie circles. The California duo's latest album has charted. You want a great festival to go to this weekend of June 21? Try Dover International Speedway. Not only you'll catch these guys, but (take a deep breath): Red Hot Chili Peppers, MGMT, Foster the People, Vampire Weekend, Calvin Harris, Grizzly Bear, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Lumineers, Matt & Kim, The Avett Brothers, Alabama Shakes, The Joy Formidable, Django Django, Youngblood Hawke, Wild Belle, ZZ Ward, Ellie Goulding, and Passion Pit. And that's just the half of it, regarding artists who have placed high on my list. If you want a more intimate setting, then go to New York's Pier 84, where Foxygen will be opening for Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, on July 25.
Next, we have Serena Ryder at #8, and New Politics at #9. Ryder's song has topped the Triple-A chart for awhile, and New Politics is high on the Alternative list. Two great songs in my opinion, and I posted both recently on Facebook. Unfortunately there were no takers for Ryder's "Stompa", but some were for "Harlem", a very catchy upbeat tune with a "My Sharona" feel to it. It looks like New Politics are part of a festival package tour this summer that also includes veteran's Jane's Addiction and Alice in Chains. She's touring her native Canada next month, but will be at Webster Hall, by herself, on August 5.
Rounding out the Top 10 is Leila's "Monday". I've said many things already about this talented artist, you need to listen to her album . Like her twin sister Omnia (who also enters the SNS top 20 this week with "Aziza", she performs at venues in her native Staten Island, as well as in Manhattan, most notably at the Bitter End. Incidentally, both have started using their surname, Hegazy officially as there are bands with those beautiful names.
THE SECOND TEN: Briefly, positions 11 thru 20 feature Golden Void, with another great song "Shady Grove", a worthy successor to "The Curve", now in its 34th chart week; Rachel Allyn's sentimental "October" as she has a full tour schedule around the state that I discussed recently; The persistent "Sacrilige" by Yeah Yeah Yeah's, another Sniatkowski find (he recently featured the follow-up "Under the Earth"); Matthew Koma's pop-drive "Parachute" (top 40 stations should be playing this one); and Hanson's "Get the Girl Back", probably the trio's best effort from a pop standpoint since their "Mmmmbop" days; the now grown-up boys from Tulsa's most recent efforts have actually gone indie. "Girl" is actually charting on Adult Top 40 now.
Palma Violets, the retro-garage Satelliters, Pageants, Vicci Martinez and the aforementioned Omnia Hegazy round out the top 20. One word on "Aziza", it's a beautiful song. I've listen to the lyrics, which are pretty tragic. It's about a young woman, who has career and educational ambitions in her life, forced to give it up to become someone's bridge and wife, with the purpose to raise kids. It's starting to get to me!!
BY THE TIME I..... One note as to the Top Debut, which is "Trying to Be Cool" by French band Phoenix. All of this band's previous outputs have hit my top 20, or made my year-end list (or both). This new single is from their fifth effort Bankrupt, and it's probably their best. A bit more orchestrated than their previous efforts, it's one of the few this year to make an immediate impact. They're with The Vaccines at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn on October 2.
Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100
June 9, 2013
|
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
1
|
NUMBER ONE:
THE VEILS
"Through the Deep Dark Wood"
Album: Time Stays, We Go
(3 weeks at #1)
|
10
|
|
2
|
2
|
Pink f. Nate Ruess - Just Give Me A Reason
|
14
|
|
3
|
4
|
Calvin Harris f. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing
|
10
|
|
4
|
5
|
Paul Czekaj - Even Better Than Before
|
9
|
|
5
|
3
|
Lana Del Rey - Ride
|
18
|
|
6
|
7
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - Out of My League
|
17
|
|
7
|
14
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
FOXYGEN
"San Francisco"
Album: We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
|
8
|
|
8
|
8
|
Serena Ryder - Stompa
|
13
|
|
9
|
13
|
New Politics - Harlem
|
15
|
|
10
|
6
|
Leila - Monday
|
14
|
|
11
|
9
|
Golden Void - Shady Grove
|
13
|
|
12
|
12
|
Rachel Allyn -October
|
7
|
|
13
|
10
|
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
|
16
|
|
14
|
21
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
MATTHEW KOMA
"Parachute"
Album: Parachute (EP)
|
8
|
|
15
|
20
|
Hanson - Get the Girl Back
|
10
|
|
16
|
15
|
Palma Violets - Last of the Summer Wine
|
11
|
|
17
|
19
|
Pageants - August Moon
|
8
|
|
18
|
18
|
The Satelliters - Gonna Get Away
|
10
|
|
19
|
11
|
Vicci Martinez f. Cee Lo Green- Come Along
|
18
|
|
20
|
28
|
Omnia Hegazy - Aziza
|
4
|
|
21
|
22
|
Alabama Shakes - Hang Loose
|
11
|
|
22
|
23
|
Wild Belle - Keep You
|
14
|
|
23
|
32
|
Portugal. the Man - Evil Friends
|
4
|
|
24
|
17
|
Django Django - Hail Bop
|
16
|
|
25
|
16
|
Dawes - From A Window Seat
|
14
|
|
26
|
36
|
Daft Punk f. Pharell Williams - Get Lucky
|
7
|
|
27
|
34
|
Rihanna - Stay
|
7
|
|
28
|
24
|
Fun - Carry On
|
32
|
|
29
|
33
|
Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire
|
11
|
|
30
|
40
|
Guards - Ready To Go
|
9
|
|
31
|
25
|
Pure X - Things In My Head
|
16
|
|
32
|
31
|
Phillip Phillips - Gone Gone Gone
|
17
|
|
33
|
27
|
Grizzly Bear - Sleeping Ute
|
16
|
|
34
|
30
|
Depeche Mode - Heaven
|
15
|
|
35
|
26
|
Maroon 5 - Daylight
|
24
|
|
36
|
29
|
Leagues - Spotlight
|
19
|
|
37
|
44
|
Local Natives - Heavy Feet
|
13
|
|
38
|
47
|
The Black Angels - Don't Play With Guns
|
4
|
|
39
|
35
|
Phoenix - Entertainment
|
15
|
|
40
|
41
|
Golden Void - The Curve
|
34
|
|
41
|
37
|
Rachel Allyn - Do It Yourself
|
18
|
|
42
|
38
|
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside - They Told Me
|
17
|
|
43
|
39
|
Avett Brothers - February Seven
|
20
|
|
44
|
48
|
Chelsea Light Moving - Groovy and Linda
|
13
|
|
45
|
73
|
Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful
|
2
|
|
46
|
63
|
Kurt Vile - Waking on A Pretty Day
|
3
|
|
47
|
42
|
Pageants - Musing of the Tide
|
20
|
|
48
|
45
|
Kurt Vile - Never Run Away
|
10
|
|
49
|
51
|
Dan Croll - From Nowhere
|
9
|
|
50
|
68
|
Waaves - Demon to Lean On
|
3
|
|
51
|
58
|
Dirty Beaches - I Dream In Neon
|
3
|
|
52
|
49
|
Depeche Mode - Soothering Soul
|
8
|
|
53
|
55
|
Churchill - The War Within
|
4
|
|
54
|
50
|
Linkin Park - Castle of Grass
|
9
|
|
55
|
52
|
Kelly Clarkson - People Like Us
|
7
|
|
56
|
43
|
Paramore - Now
|
18
|
|
57
|
46
|
Of Monsters and Men - King & Lionheart
|
11
|
|
58
|
57
|
Taylor Swift - 22
|
8
|
|
59
|
90
|
Cayucas - High School Lover
|
2
|
|
60
|
61
|
Vampire Weekend - Diane Young
|
7
|
|
61
|
76
|
Candice Glover - I Am Beautiful
|
2
|
|
62
|
59
|
The Law Langhorne Slim - The Way We Move
|
9
|
|
63
|
71
|
Michael Franti and Spearhead - I'm Alive
|
4
|
|
64
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
PHOENIX
"Trying to Be Cool"
Album: Bankrupt!
|
1
|
|
65
|
67
|
Deathfix - Better Than Bad
|
13
|
|
66
|
69
|
Wild Feathers - The Ceiling
|
4
|
|
67
|
53
|
Bon Jovi - Because We Can
|
18
|
|
68
|
89
|
Plain White T's - Should've Gone to Bed
|
2
|
|
69
|
56
|
The Strokes - All the Time
|
17
|
|
70
|
60
|
Goo Goo Dolls - Rebel Beat
|
8
|
|
71
|
84
|
Emeli Sande - Next To Me
|
23
|
|
72
|
80
|
Matchbox Twenty - Our Song
|
4
|
|
73
|
95
|
Maroon 5 - Love Somebody
|
2
|
|
74
|
65
|
The XX - Sunset
|
9
|
|
75
|
88
|
Swedish House Mafia f. John Martin - Don't You Worry Child
|
4
|
|
76
|
54
|
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down - We The Common
|
14
|
|
77
|
66
|
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street
|
13
|
|
78
|
78
|
Jay Arner - Don't Remind Me
|
7
|
|
79
|
82
|
Muse - Panic Station
|
7
|
|
80
|
72
|
Churchill - Change
|
38
|
|
81
|
74
|
Imagine Dragons - Demons
|
8
|
|
82
|
----
|
Sara Bareilles - Brave
|
1
|
|
83
|
99
|
MS MR - Hurricane
|
2
|
|
84
|
----
|
KT Tunstall- Feel It All
|
1
|
|
85
|
64
|
Wild Nothing - Shadow
|
20
|
|
86
|
75
|
Walk of the Earth - Red Hands
|
11
|
|
87
|
94
|
The National - Don't Swallow the Cap
|
3
|
|
88
|
----
|
The Thermals - I Go Alone
|
1
|
|
89
|
----
|
Little Green Cars - Harper Lee
|
1
|
|
90
|
62
|
Lifehouse f. Natasha Bedingfield - Between the Raindrops
|
21
|
|
91
|
85
|
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
|
27
|
|
92
|
86
|
Crystal Fightres - You and I
|
4
|
|
93
|
87
|
Jamie N Commons - Rumble & Sway
|
4
|
|
94
|
98
|
Ben Howard - Keep Your Head Up
|
2
|
|
95
|
----
|
Delta Rae - If I Loved You
|
1
|
|
96
|
----
|
Mumford and Sons - Babel
|
1
|
|
97
|
70
|
Train - Mermaid
|
21
|
|
98
|
96
|
Said the Whale - I Love You
|
3
|
|
99
|
97
|
Jimmy Eat World - I Will Steal You Back
|
2
|
|
100
|
----
|
Dirty Heads - Cabin By the Sea
|
1
|
TREMORS:
101. Savages, She Will
102. Lady Antebellum, Downtown
103. I Am Dynamite, Hey Girl
104. Case Studies - Everything
105. Anna Kendrick, Cups
106. Avril Lavigne, Here's To Never Growing Up
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