2014, however was a rough year for the old workhorse. Now over two hundred thousand miles logged, it was having its problems. First of all, the four wheel drive stopped working, and with the winter we just experienced and the area we lived in having many hills, it was a nightmare--the big SUV couldn't make it up the hill anymore. Then finally on April 9, on Interstate 80 on the way to work, the car died. I coasted partially off an exit ramp and stopped. It was something to do with the timing belt, said the garage who towed the car there, luckily near where I work.
That afternoon, it appeared they fixed the problem, just for a few hundred dollars, and home I went that night. Nice? Well, not exactly. Seems that the closer I got home, the car got noisier and noisier, until I pulled into my driveway. A huge racket. I knew it was going back to the garage the next day, the question was, will it make it there? After a few tense moments, I got to the garage for day too; I walked the short distance to work. By afternoon I called and this time the news wasn't good. The engine needed replacing. In other words, that's all folks! Thus, the late afternoon of the 10th, the car was towed to a junkyard. Rest in peace.
That weekend it was new car shopping, and after a couple of showroom visits, the verdict was: A new, 2014 Subaru Outback, dark red in color. For the first time in over twenty years, not an SUV but a "crossover". A nice ride, and a few days later, the car was mine.
OK, by now, you may be asking, what does this have to do with music? Well, I'm going to tell you. Among the features of the car is Sirius XM Statelite Radio. This, of course has been around for well over a decade or so, but, aside from my father-in-law listening to "40's on 4" or the classic country station when we go up and visit, or my firend Anthony Josephs having it on during some ski trips the last couple of years, I never listened regularly. Of course there are channel for every genre of music, every decade, and special channels.
Well, as you can imagine, I took to "Alt. Nation", which plays current and recent (last decade or so), alternative rock. Some stuff I've been listening to on my iPod or on my blog chart, but some new things as well. If you think that doesn't sound like a big deal, remember this is the New York metropolitan area. With the exception of WXRP, 101.9 that ran for about two years from 2009-2011 (and very briefly again early last year), this area has never had a commercial station for alternative rock (and I don't count 92.3 K-Rock in the mid 90's to mid 2000's, which made a mockery of the format.
Needless to say, I love the station, and I've already incorporated a couple of songs that have been playing on alt nation. MS MR, whose "Hurricane" spent 10 weeks in the lower regions of the blog chart, have "Think of You", also from the duo's Secondhand Rapture set, in my opinion a much better, soulful song and catchier song, and a bit more sentimental as well. They are New York-based, and they'll be playing locally at the Prospect Park bandshell, opening up for The National. Nice song, and it debuts at #62, higher than the #70 peak of "Hurricane".
Another featured song on the station, debuting at #75 is "Sheila Put the Knife Down", by Junior Prom, another from the Brooklyn NY music scene. Another great song in my opinion, and to be honest, it just sounds better hearing it on the radio. Finally, Chromeo enters with "Jealous" at #83.
There are plenty of good songs out there again. Sirius XM, of course, is by subscription and after four months I will make the decision whether to pay and subscribe to satellite radio. Given the lack of this kind of music locally (not to mention reliable sources to discover it), this may be a good course of what I add to the my chart. Of course, I still check out WEQX in Manchester, Vermont as well as WFUV's "The Alternate Side". I know my SNS chart has, in the past, featured pop, country and soft rock, and I will still try and get the best from those formats and genres (how do you not resist "Happy" by Pharrell Williams), but I see for the time being giving priority to more alternative rock.
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Meanwhile, back at the top of the chart, which encompasses the weeks of April 6th and 13th, we see Foster the People garnering their second SNS #1, with the very hummable "Coming of Age", following "Pumped Up Kicks". The song is top 5 alternative, but since it's more rock oriented and has artistic creativity, it only "bubbled under" the Billboard pop chart. The new single is "Best Friend" which has been playing on "Alt Nation" recently; I will add that on in the next few weeks. Pharrell, whose "Happy" is now in it's 8th week at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, advanced to #2; while the previous week's #1, Young the Giant's "It's About Time", drops to #3, as a new entry by them, "Crystallized" enters at #61, which is another winner, by the way.
Elsewhere, Rachel Allyn's "Triggerman" advances to #20, the only new entry in that upper echelon this week. It's her ninth straight SNS top 20 song, the fourth from her album Do It Yourself, and that doesn't count the two songs released as singles before that albums release. If your'e looking for her, head down to Atlantic City, where she's playing much of her shows these days.
KEYS TO SUCCESS: Outside the top 20's the top two debuts are worth mentioning. The Black Keys have always been a favorite of mine going back to the middle of the last decade. The first four weeks of my blog, when I introduced it in August 2010, the number 1 song was the band's "Tighten Up". Since then, they've been fixtures on my radar, and this week, their new single, "Fever" comes in at a lofty #28, which I believe is the second highest debut of all time (behind Avi Buffalo's 'What's In It For", which entered at #21 a few years back). "Fever" is a more dancable song that their others, except perhaps for "Lonely Boy", another SNS #1. A bit more synth-driven than their classic stuff, this is no sell-out. The band still maintains its rock edge in a beat-driven effort. The song chugs along at a, uh, a feverish pace. It's persistent but you never get tired of it. Halfway thru the song, it gets even better and moves it up a notch, with Dan Auerbach's vocals becoming more soulful and the song even more coming to life. Look for this one to be their third #1 on SNS. Great effort!
The second highest entry, at a not-too-shabby #41, is "Amy's World" by The Hounds of Winter. The Hounds, friend Tom Corea's studio band (as opposed to his Bad Attitude band which plays area clubs), are no strangers to SNS. Two of their holiday entries made the upper half of my chart in 2012, and they had three top 20 songs backing up other artists: Two songs with Sarah Jean in 2011-12, and another top entry with seasoned musician Thom Sebastian, "Not Broken". Unfortunately, Sebastian passed away last year, and this new effort, "Amy's World", is past of an album, entitled Sebastian that is a tribute to the late singer-songwriter. The song, and video, is a bouncy, cheery, uptempo song that could have come out during the late 60's or early 70's in the "sunshine pop" genre, represented by bands such as Spanky & Our Gang, The Cowsills, Peppermint Rainbow, plus other studio bands of the area. Well, at least it's the perception when viewing the colorful video. While perhaps those bands weren't in the "cool" category, the Hounds make it cool in a hurry. The song is what perhaps those pop bands would have sounded like had they featured forceful guitars. I'm not exactly sure of the relationship between Amy and Thom, but apparent it was significent enough. This is a bouncy pop/rock song that is retro, yet much needed nowadays. A great effort for Tom and the crew at Babyfishmouth studio in East Hanover. My recommendation is to listen to the song first, then catch the video.
LONG RUN AT AN END: "Keep You" by Wild Belle, after a 54 week run, finally drops off the chart; however, Fitz & the Tantrums "Out of My League" still hangs in there at #93 in its 58th week. The band will be playing at Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel on June 6th, and it would be wise to grab some tickets while you can. Will this song, the first single by the band which still has two other songs from their album on my chart, including "The Walker", another #1 on both SNS and Billboard's Alternative chart, and I will be adding another song from that album soon, hang on for a 60th week? I was reflecting about all the things that have taken place since I added this song at the end of February of 2012: Some geocaching expeditions, trips to the Shore, tailgates for Jets games, etc. A lot of memories of that song.
Then again, there have been a lot of memories--13 years, almost--associated with my 2002 Ford Explorer, too.
Scenes n' Soundwaves 100
April 6-13, 2014
..
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
1
|
3
|
NUMBER ONE:
FOSTER THE PEOPLE
"Coming of Age"
Album: Supermodel
|
12
|
2
|
4
|
Pharrell Williams - Happy
|
7
|
3
|
1
|
Young the Giant - It's About Time
|
19
|
4
|
2
|
Tired Pony - All Things All At Once
|
20
|
5
|
7
|
Phantogram - Fall in Love
|
14
|
6
|
5
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - The Walker
|
22
|
7
|
9
|
Haim - Forever
|
21
|
8
|
8
|
Caveman - Shut You Down
|
19
|
9
|
6
|
Shannon Marsyada Trio - What You Do To Me
|
21
|
10
|
11
|
Broken Bells - Holding On For Life
|
18
|
11
|
17
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
"Take It Or Leave It"
Album: Melophobia
|
5
|
12
|
10
|
Capital Cities - Kangaroo Court
|
17
|
13
|
20
|
Kings of Leon - Temple
|
18
|
14
|
13
|
Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know
|
17
|
15
|
19
|
Wild Belle - It's Too Late
|
10
|
16
|
14
|
Hellogoodbye - Everything Is Debatable
|
14
|
17
|
16
|
Dum Dum Girls - Lost Boys and Girls Club
|
16
|
18
|
12
|
Paul Czekaj - Elvis in Heaven
|
14
|
19
|
18
|
Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes
|
14
|
20
|
25
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
RACHEL ALLYN
"Triggerman"
Album: Do It Yourself
|
10
|
.
21
|
29
|
Beck - Blue Moon
|
10
|
22
|
30
|
Lucius - Turn It Around
|
16
|
23
|
31
|
Zedd f. Hayley Williams - Stay the Night
|
12
|
24
|
34
|
U2 - Invisible
|
7
|
25
|
33
|
Hospitality - Going Out
|
10
|
26
|
26
|
King Tuff - Sun Medallion
|
23
|
27
|
27
|
Those Darlins - In the Wilderness
|
15
|
28
|
---- |
TOP DEBUT:
THE BLACK KEYS
"Fever"
Album: Turn Blue
|
1
|
29
|
28
|
Zedd f. Foxes - Clarity
|
29
|
30
|
15
|
Man Man - Pyramids
|
19
|
31
|
21
|
Field Mouse - How Do You Know
|
34
|
32
|
36
|
Of Monsters and Men - Dirty Paws
|
17
|
33
|
45
|
Temples - Shelter Song
|
11
|
34
|
39
|
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Lariat
|
12
|
35
|
24
|
Wild Belle - Backslider
|
22
|
36
|
37
|
Phoenix - SOS in Belaire
|
12
|
37
|
47
|
Kongos - Come With Me Now
|
10
|
38
|
48
|
Golden Void - Smiling Raven
|
5
|
39
|
46
|
Silversun Pickups - Cannibal
|
11
|
40
|
54
|
Avicii - Hey Brother
|
11
|
41
|
---- |
The Hounds of Winter - Amy's World
|
1
|
42
|
49
|
Franz Ferdinand - Bullet
|
15
|
43
|
51
|
Mind Spiders - The Steady
|
16
|
44
|
58
|
Sleeper Agent - Waves
|
5
|
45
|
23
|
Eminem f. Rihanna - The Monster
|
17
|
46
|
22
|
Lorde - Team
|
18
|
47
|
35
|
The Fray - Love Don't Die
|
20
|
48
|
50
|
Hospitality - Rockets and Jets
|
7
|
49
|
60
|
Temples - Keep In the Dark
|
7
|
50
|
44
|
Alt J - Tesselate
|
19
|
51
|
62
|
Papa - Put Me to Work
|
7
|
52
|
42
|
Vance Joy - Riptide
|
12
|
53
|
53
|
Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World
|
12
|
54
|
59
|
Sam Roberts Band - We're All in This Together
|
7
|
55
|
43
|
New Politics - Tonight You're Perfect
|
18
|
56
|
67
|
Wild Club - Thunder Clatter
|
14
|
57
|
32
|
Katy Perry - Unconditinally
|
18
|
58
|
41
|
Cate Le Bon - Are You With Me Now
|
21
|
59
|
69
|
Birdy - Skinny Love
|
10
|
60
|
76
|
No - Leave the Door Wide Open
|
3
|
61
|
---- |
Young the Giant - Crystallized
|
1
|
62
|
---- |
MS MR - Think of You
|
1
|
63
|
40
|
Ylvis - The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)
|
20
|
64
|
68
|
Brick + Mortar - Locked In A Cage
|
10
|
65
|
64
|
Augustines - Walkabout
|
10
|
66
|
72
|
Capital Cities - I Sold My Bed But Not My Stereo
|
3
|
67
|
61
|
Grouplove - Shark Attack
|
11
|
68
|
66
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - Keeping Our Eyes Out
|
31
|
69
|
78
|
Magic Man - Paris
|
3
|
70
|
71
|
Bad Suns - Cardiac Arrest
|
5
|
71
|
38
|
Eli Young Band - Drunk Last Night
|
16
|
72
|
57
|
Of Montreal - Fugitive Air
|
22
|
73
|
79
|
Afghan Whigs - Algiers
|
3
|
74
|
65
|
Terraplane Sun - Get Me Golden
|
35
|
75
|
---- |
Junior Prom - Sheila Put the Knife Down
|
1
|
76
|
---- |
Broken Bells - No Matter What You're Told
|
1
|
77
|
52
|
Emiliana Torrini -Speed of Dark
|
23
|
78
|
82
|
Birds of Tokyo - Lanterns
|
3
|
79
|
55
|
Portugal. the Man - Modern Jesus
|
18
|
80
|
77
|
Lost in the Trees - Past Life
|
11
|
81
|
86
|
Coldplay - Magic
|
3
|
82
|
---- |
Eagulls - Possessed
|
1
|
83
|
---- |
Chromeo - Jealous
|
1
|
84
|
56
|
Cold War Kids - Lost That Easy
|
25
|
85
|
63
|
San Cisco - Fred Astaire
|
25
|
86
|
80
|
Bruno Mars - Young Girls
|
5
|
87
|
---- |
Sir Sly - Gold
|
1
|
88
|
73
|
Cage the Elephant - Come A Little Closer
|
33
|
89
|
81
|
Crosses - The Epilogue
|
5
|
90
|
74
|
Cut Copy - We Are Explorers
|
19
|
91
|
85
|
John Legend - All of Me
|
5
|
92
|
89
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - Out of My League
|
58
|
93
|
92
|
Cloud Nothings - I'm Not Part of Me
|
3
|
94
|
---- |
Elbow - New York Morning
|
1
|
95
|
90
|
White Sea - They Don't Know
|
5
|
96
|
91
|
Bleachers - I Wanna Get Better
|
3
|
97
|
70
|
Capital Cities - Safe and Sound
|
34
|
98
|
94
|
Cherub - Doses and Mimosas
|
3
|
99
|
---- |
Damien Jurado - Silver Timothy
|
1
|
100
|
84
|
Lady Gaga - Do What U Want
|
7
|
.
...
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