JANUARY: The blog gets a bit of a new look, as I switch my spreadsheet from Microsoft Works to Excel, which of course has many bells and whistles to it. Thus, my SNS 100 chart looks vastly different, and I am able to add "bullets", which is record industry jargon for songs that move up the chart quickly, which is more efficient than just looking at "last week" numbers....I also vow to keep this blog up all year, after taking two extended hiatuses in 2014. Except for two weeks in June and two more in October where I had to combine two weeks in a blog, I thought I did very well.....Foxygen has the first #1 song of the year, with the Todd Rundgren-ish "How Can You Really"....heading down the chart at #16 was "6AM" by Fitz & the Tantrums. That song, like the visitor who simply won't leave, would just "hang around" all year........I also tout the "locals", either those aspiring artists who are releasing music or those simply playing gigs for the fun of it, including The Wizards of Winter, Suburban Hillbillies, Blueschamber and the Moving Company.......finally I talk about the rise of vinyl and whether it will come back into vogue, or whether it is just a novelty.
FEBRUARY: I take a look at the Oscars, and note Glen Campbell's final performance, a duet with Tim McGraw.......and Lady Gaga gained respectability from the masses when she sang a medley from The Sound Of Music., with star Julie Andrews looking on.. ....Paul McCartney teams up with, of all people, Kanye West (and later again with Rihanna), reactions are very mixed; Kanyes fan's are ecstatic that their "star" launched a "new career" of this "unknown"......After skipping a year, I go on a ski weekend with my friend Anthony Josephs and his friends. Once again the music was a big part of it, most notably the fourth single from the Black Keys most recent album. "Weight of Love", and it becomes one of my biggest singles of the year.....I take a look at Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary special and some of the music that helped shape the past four decades........finally, we lost legendary singer Lesley Gore, a Jersey girl who provided many great sounds of the 1960's.....The Grammys are broadcast, with Beck deservedly taking Album of the Year honors, however Kanye spoiled the honor yet again, like he did with Taylor Swift six years earlier, going up on stage, and later on, suggesting Beck "respect artistry" of Beyoncé, who Kanye felt should have won........Speaking of SNL, Alabama Shakes delivers a riveting performance, and will dominate my charts all spring into the summer.....The Wizards of Winter, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra spin-off based in Frenchtown NJ which released an album last December, produced by none other than Tom Corea, still rises into my top 20 with "Gales of December", transcending the holiday season.
MARCH: The chart is spiced up with blues and rock numbers.....aside from the descending "Call Me" by St. Paul & the Broken Bones, and the aforementioned "Weight of Love", new music from Florence + the Machine, and Hozier (showing he's not a one-hit wonder); and especially Alabama Shakes, impact the top 10. ......While we were waiting (most of the year, it would turn out) for Leila Hegazy to release "Maybe If We Try", her sister Omnia suddenly comes out with the change-of-pace rock number "Dust", which eventually hits the top of my chart and garners some notice....."Uptown Funk" dominates the Billboard Hot 100, and make an impact on my chart as well. It would change the trend in pop music most of the year, and would become Billboard's #1 song of the year.
APRIL: Ken Johnston, an old friend of mine not seen in 15 years, finally updates his "kjband" website after almost that long, and I find some recent (and decent) music worth playing. I review his "career" and during the year, add three of his songs, all making my top 40........My blog hits 20,000 views......I also solve a mystery of a 27 year-old song that I had no idea who performed it, and I chronicle the trials and tribulations of figuring it out. The song? "Anitina" by one-hit wonder M/A/R/R/S of "Pump Up the Volume" fame. The song was the B-side of that hit, and it turned out to be the only song they would ever release.......Phoebe Ryan, formally of the recommended-by-a-friend band Town Hall, went solo, and the same friend, Merrill Kenny Butler, noted she was making some noise on the Left Coast as a solo artist. She was on Billboard's "up and coming" list with "Mine", which will reach my top ten.......finally, I make more changes to my chart, and start adding URL links to the songs on my list, which takes a few weeks to complete. Click on the song to listen to the video or website source.
MAY: "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran was wandering around the lower portion of the SNS 100 for over two months, until a geocaching event which led to a pub where the song was played. Another friend who was at this event, Meg Hunsicker, loved the song, and, after myself giving it a few more listens, suddenly it connected with myself as well in a big way. A few weeks later, it would reside at the top for six weeks.......Omnia Hegazy's "Dust", as mentioned earlier reaches #1, sandwiched in between two Alabama Shakes songs.......the second of which "Gimme All Your Love" is featured during this year's Roscoe camping trip......After a long period of time, a yet another friend, Gary Gabriel, tells me about his top 5 songs, all country, and I start adding country songs again. Tyler Farr is the first success, but by the end of the year, Thomas Rhett would be in the top ten and Zac Brown would make a "comeback" as well, many others on the list also invade my SNS 100.......I remember R&B legend Ben E. King, as well as blues great B.B. King who passed away within two weeks of each other.......I catch two local bands' gigs on the same day: Bad Attitude, featuring local impresario Tom Corea on drums, and The Vinnys.........Grace Potter, one of my favorite artists of the SNS era, releases a solo album. The rock artist, however, displays a more dance-pop side with her first single "Alive Tonight". The song, nonetheless, hits my top 5.....I review the Billboard Music Awards.
JUNE: A road trip to Maine and then to Lake George spurs some new music, most notably Elle King's "Ex's and Oh's"...........It appears I would slack off again with my blog as I only publish one this month, resulting in a couple of "double issues" to catch up.......American Idol may have become irrelevant, but I add one of the finalists from a few seasons back---Alison Iraheta, with her band Halo Circus........I blog about the "summer of love", 1967......Beck, off his win at the Grammys (in spite of Kanye), releases a single, "Dreams", which would eventually top my chart--but be ignored by pop radio.......I also look back at five years since I saw local talent Rachel Allyn. She announced that she is making a new EP which was supposed to be due in the fall, but has been delayed until the new year. But she did announce she got engaged........Courtney Barnett releases "Dead Fox" which will quickly ascend to the top of the SNS chart........
JULY: Live-Aid didn't quite age as well as Woodstock did, but on its 30th anniversary, I wrote about its impact on the music scene in the 1980's.........A friend and classmate, Jimmy McGuirl, passed away at his home in Florida. He was a life-long drummer, and I remember his life.........Country superstar and The Voice coach, Blake Shelton announces divorce from fellow country star Miranda Lambert. He'd later hook up with Gwen Stefani, who herself filed for divorce from Bush front man Gavin Rossdale..........Ed Sheeran continues his summer domination with "Thinking Out Loud" which totaled six weeks at the top. It would stay in the top half of the chart at the end of the year, pushing 40 chart weeks...........Another local artist I found out about, Matt Weiss, comes out with a great song "Black Magic", which blows me away. His mom, Annette, is a longtime friend of mine. The song would eventually reach my top five.........
AUGUST: With summer in full swing, I add, or move up, several songs featuring "beach" or "summer". These include songs by Maroon 5, Lana Del Rey, Demi Lovato, and I Am Dynamite........The month marks the fifth anniversary of the start of my blog; I took a look at its origins, artists that I really got into, as well as my top 20 local and upcoming artists, and finally, my all-time top 100 of the blog era, with the #1 song going to "Out of My League" by Fitz & the Tantrums..........Golden Void, whose last album tore up my charts in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, release a new single, "Dervishing".........
SEPTEMBER: In the pop world, apparently all is forgiven with Justin Bieber. The former bad boy sets the charts on fire as "What Do You Mean" debuts at #1 on the Hot 100. He'd later do the same with his new album, and at one point, would have three songs in the top 5 and get treated like a superstar. I try and analyze why he wound up getting a 'reprieve".........I list my top 20 of the summer, and to no surprise, Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" gets the honors.........However, friend Cindi Robinson notes no country music is on the list, and gives me a list of songs she was listening to; hence another wave of country artists being added.........Leon Bridges very retro-soulful "Coming Home" tops my list.......A hometown reunion of two classmates, Joni Lennon and Paul Hibbitt, results in a nice time at local bar Frenchy's, and results in a resurgence for Fitz & the Tantrums "6 AM", and even their breakthrough song "Money Grabber" hits the Tremors list, because of jukebox play on both songs.
OCTOBER: Another pair of "double issues' takes place, but bad news as radio station WNTI from Centenary College in Hackettstown, gets sold to a college station in Pennsylvania, which results in simulcasting Penn University's broadcasts, leaving West Jersey's original music scene in the dark. WNTI would then become an online station and it was reported that the annual "Summer Stage" would still take place in 2016........Another look back to a season of music in my childhood, this time, the autumn of 1968...........Hozier, who had a huge pop hit with "Take Me to Church", tops that song's #2 position on SNS with "Someone New", reaching the top of my list, but pop radio ignores the song........Speaking of being ignored, the third single from Florence + the Machine's How Big How Blue How Beautiful, "Queen of Peace" gets released, but doesn't get airplay. It eventually becomes the final #1 song on my blog for 2015.........The long-awaited new single by Adele, "Hello" gets released. It would take only three weeks to top SNS, and becomes the most talked about song of the year......Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats' "S.O.B", which was my caching friend Robin Bridge Carbonara's "song of the summer", finally rises to #1 on SNS, becoming arguably, my "song of the fall"......
NOVEMBER: The CMA awards are broadcast, which includes a great performance by Chris Stapleton along with Justin Timberlake, leading me to analyze why pop artists never display their full talents on their pop songs.........Leila Hegazy, after "teasing" us last December, finally releases her single "Maybe If We Try", which would reach the top three by years' end.......Gwen Stefani, in the news because of her The Voice stint and her new romance with Blake Shelton, releases a new single "Used to Love You"........As mentioned earlier, Adele reaches the top spot with "Hello", with Florence right behind. Adele's album 25 shatters all records when released, selling well over three million copies in its first week alone..........Tom Corea's studio project, The Hounds of Winter, set to release a Christmas CD, Band in a Box. It would, and would rise to the top of the Reverbnation charts.........
DECEMBER: Stone Temple Pilots' front man Scott Weiland dies at age 48, and I remember his impact on my musical life soundtrack.........Adele appears on Saturday Night Live, singing "Hello" but getting some mixed reviews from some friends of mine........Holiday music gets released, with the key songs being Seal's "This Christmas", an album by Train which features "Merry Christmas Everybody", and the aforementioned Hounds of Winter CD (most notably Sarah Jean's take on Joni Mitchell's "River", but a song by a mid-Hudson valley of New York state group called Us Commoners, "Christmas and Hanukah" makes an impact; the video features a few of my friends, Gia and Rick Ness and their family..........Oh and "6 AM" by Fitz & the Tantrums, is STILL on my list, cracking the 60 week mark. Some things come and go during the year, but at least one thing didn't change at all.
BACK TO THE HERE AND NOW: "Queen of Peace" holds atop the SNS 100 on the final list of the year, with "Hello" by Adele sitting at #2. Leila Hegazy's "Maybe If We Try" inches to #3, dropping Selena Gomez to #4. Hence, female artists or female-led bands account for the top four songs as we leave 2014. Two holiday entries make it into the top 20 this year: Us Commoners, "Christmas and Hanukkah" jumps to #13, while Sarah Jean, backed by the Hounds of Winter, arrives at #17. This marks the third year in a row, that a song produced by my friend Tom Corea makes it into the SNS top 20. Last year, The Wizards of Winter reached #11 with "Gales of December", and in 2013, Bad Attitude reached #2 with "Merry Christmas Anyway". Actually, he came within one chart position of making it four years in a row: In 2012, the Hounds' "Come on Christmas" just missed at #21.
ELSEWHERE: I only add one new song this week, "Sound & Color", the title track from Alabama Shakes' album, one of the best of the year, in my opinion. At first listen, it reminds me of "Weight of Love" by the Black Keys; it's surreal sounding xylophone intro conveys that, but shortly there after, Brittany Howard's voice, just takes over the song. A bluesy number for sure. It debuts at #80. And finally, "6AM" by Fitz & the Tantrums, holds on at #89, in its 62nd chart week. The song debuted in the early summer of 2014, and now is the only song to be on my chart every week in the calendar year. With "Last Raindrop" just now dropping out of the top 20, it looks like there will be a song by the band well into the third anniversary of their More Than Just a Dream album. There has been no reports yet on a third album release by the band, however.
BEST WISHES: Shortly, I will be posting my year-end Top 100 of the Year, both here on my blog, as well as on my Facebook page. It definitely was a good year in music, and then I will take my traditional beginning of the year hiatus. And once again, I will ponder what direction the blog will take, or whether I should continue it. I've had time for it this year as I am still not working, but it is very time consuming. Still, I love new music, and it's a great way for me to keep on top of what is going on. So we will see what 2016 will bring. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
December 20,
2015
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Queen of Peace"
Album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
(2 weeks at #1)
|
10 |
| 2 | 2 | Adele - Hello | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | Leila Hegazy - Maybe If We Try | 7 |
| 4 | 3 | Selena Gomez - Same Old Love | 10 |
| 5 | 5 | St. Paul & the Broken Bones - Broken Bones & Pocket Change | 14 |
| 6 | 6 | Thomas Rhett - Crash and Burn | 11 |
| 7 | 7 | The Dreamers - Wolves (You Got Me) | 8 |
| 8 | 8 | The Decemberists - Philomena | 10 |
| 9 | 12 | Coldplay - Adventure of A Lifetime | 5 |
| 10 | 9 | Gwen Stefani - Used to Love You | 7 |
| 11 | 11 | Smash Palace - Haddontown | 9 |
| 12 | 10 | Zac Brown Band - Loving You Easy | 10 |
| 13 | 30 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Christmas
& Hanukkah"
(Single only)
|
3 |
| 14 | 18 | Iration - 867 | 6 |
| 15 | 15 | Foo Fighters - Outside | 14 |
| 16 | 16 | Soak - Sea Creatures | 16 |
| 17 | 25 | The Hounds of Winter f. Sarah Jean - River | 5 |
| 18 | 14 | Palma Violets - Danger in the Club | 15 |
| 19 | 13 | Django Django - Shake & Tremble | 14 |
| 20 | 27 | Brick + Mortar - Train | 6 |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod. 