Maybe one of their songs might make it onto the radio, perhaps charting halfway up the Billboard airplay charts, and they start gaining in popularity. Perhaps a hiatus, in which you are really looking forward to their next single and album, which could take a year or two.
You then hear that the new single is being released. In anticipation, you, perhaps without listening to it first, buy it or download it, and it's on your iPod or smartphone. You listen and......well.....a bit disappointed as perhaps the style has now been updated to sound more mainstream. Perhaps your enthusiasm becomes inflated. The artist or band becomes more popular with this music and maybe it turns you off somewhat. People could call it "selling out".
Let's face it...artists evolve, and perhaps standing still, even though we might love it, isn't good for artist development. We've seen it happen in our lifetimes. And yes, perhaps change is good. For example, in just a couple short years, The Beatles went from the frothy pop of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to the innovative Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, two albums that set rock on a new course.
But of course, not everyone could pull it off like the Beatles. Artists that have changed with the times do usually get rewarded...Madonna was relevant for so long as she became inventive and found styles to sing (and new days to shock people). U2 is and was another band that evolved. And there is a long list of artists who also evolved, too numerous to mention.
But my blog this week is a bit different as I'm talking about artists in this decade, many of whom won me over, mostly with throwbacks to older styles, usually rock-ish and soulful, but who have gone more mainstream. The Raveonettes had that early 1960's sound on their early albums, but moved more towards the mainstream, but still were awesome, if not finding mainstream popularity. Grace Potter's most recent endeavor sacrificed her bluesy rock for more mainstream beat-pop and fell on her face, although she did make my top five with "Alive Tonight". Adele, who closely fit the description on my first few paragraphs, abandoned lot of her Brit-soul, for her latest album, not that it was bad or anything.
But I really wasn't talking about Adele, but, as mentioned last week, the new single by Fitz & the Tantrums, entitled "HandClap".
Although the band has had success with their first two albums (including two alternative #1's last time out with "Out of My League" and "The Walker"), they have yet to have a pop hit (although the latter did dent the Hot 100).
It's no secret from those who have read my blog for the last five and a half years, that Fitz & the Tantrums are my favorite band of the 2010's. From the moment I heard "MoneyGrabber" in late November of 2010, I was hooked. That song had a late 1960's blue-eyed soul sound reminiscent of bands like The Flaming Ember. "MoneyGrabber" spent four weeks atop my blog, keeping out Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" out of the position save for only one week. Some equally great songs also came out of that album, such as another #1, "Picking of the Pieces" the title track from that album, along with the top 20's "L.O.V.", "Dear Mr. President", "Don't Gotta Work It Out", and "Breaking the Chains of Love".
Then, in March 2013, the lead single from their new album More Than Just a Dream, "Out of My League" was released. Not only did it top my chart for seven weeks, it also topped Billboard's alternative chart, and I soon realized I had at least two friends who were into the band as well. The album kept its soulfulness for the most part, albeit slightly more mainstream and accessible. Three friends saw them in concert down in Atlantic City. Meanwhile, that song topped my year-end list for 2013, and was joined by "The Walker" and "Fools Gold" as singles. I also plucked out "Keeping Our Eyes Out", and "Last Raindrop" as album cuts, and they, too made the top of my list. And then there's "6 AM".
That song, not released as a single, but heard frequently in places I've been to, hit "only" #3 on my list, when I added the song on June 22, 2014. And it stayed on my list, until last week. This week it finally leaves my list, after 71 chart weeks (and longer when you count the actual elapsed weeks including blog hiatuses). It was a fantastic album for sure; the album and its songs just reminds me of the good times it brought, even though they've apparently come to pass. And "Last Raindrop" moves up a bit this week to #57 in week 33, so that legacy isn't completely gone.
All, which FINALLY brings us to the new single, "HandClap", which I heard for the first time late last week. Well, from the first few notes, it's apparent that it's not your older brother's Fitz & the Tantrums. It appeared the band has gone techno with the verses such a far cry from "MoneyGrabber" or "Out of My League". You actually could draw a parallel with The Black Keys' lead single from their last album, "Fever", very danceable.
But, as soon as you thought Michael Fitzpatrick and crew were selling out, comes the bridges, with his vocals reminding you of why you liked them in the first place, sort of like the final portion of "Fever". As I mentioned last week, it's different, but still an awesome song. And perhaps, it indeed is time to move on in more ways than one.
The band has just about every record on my blog you could think of. Seven number one songs, the two longest running songs on my blog (71 weeks for "6 AM" and 63 for "Out of My League"), they have 12 consecutive top 20's in a row, still active (Rachel Allyn, The Black Keys and Adele are tied for second with 10 in the row). "HandClap" sets another blog record by debuting with 81 fave points, breaking the record of 80 set by Adele's "Hello" just last October.
Two records, however do not yet belong to Fitz & the Tantrums. "Out of My League" was #1 for seven weeks, one short of "Fever's" record of eight. And "HandClap" debuts at #27, missing the record by six positions, still held by "What's In It For?" by Avi Buffalo back in September of 2010, which entered at #21.
"HandClap" debuts at #40 on this week's Billboard Alternative chart, the one which the band scored two #1's on. They will be touring this summer with a couple dates in New York City, one of them at Terminal 5, June 21. That is also the month in which their third, self-titled album drops.
Yes, the band has evolved from the one that I loved in the first place, but so far, I am still on board. And not disappointed.
ELSEWHERE: While Foals' "Mountain at my Gates" still gains on national charts, it also falls off my list this week (as does "6 AM" and another long-runner "Gimme All Your Love"), but the somber "Give It All" rises to the top, narrowly beating out Adele's "When We Were Young" which incidentally missed the top 10 on the national chart, only peaking at #14. Aside from Fitz, other SNS vet acts debut high, including "In My Eyes", the new one from Best Coast. This one is an awesome rocker to be reckoned with; it's the follow-up to the SNS top 10 "Feeling OK", another winner for them. Halo Circus, featuring former American Idol contestant Allison Iraheta, are right behind with "Desire", following up "Do You Believe In Shame". Iraheta sounds a lot like Gwen Stefani on this one, which isn't a bad way to sound. Note that the billing of the band has changed in which the band's name comes before Allison's; I adjusted the still-charting prior single to show this billing as well.
Also debuting are the new one by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, "No Love Like Yours"; the band hit here with "Home" and "That's What's Up"; and veteran act The Dandy Warhols, "You Are Killing Me". It's their first appearance on SNS.
FAREWELL: Since it's 2016, it wouldn't be a complete blog unless we mention who passed away this week. Well, there are two. Andy Newman, of the British band Thunderclap Newman, best know for their #37 Billboard hit in 1969, "Something In the Air", notably covered more recently by Tom Petty. He was 73. And Patty Duke, of course more an actress best know for her portrayal of a young Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker which garnered her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and her classic sitcom "The Patty Duke Show" where she played identical cousins. But she did have a hit single during the rein of that show. "Don't Just Stand There" made the top 10 in the summer of 1965. She definitely will be missed.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
March 27,
2016
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 2 | NUMBER ONE:
"Give It All"
Album: What Went Down
|
8 |
| 2 | 3 | Adele - When We Were Young | 10 |
| 3 | 5 | DNCE - Cake By the Ocean | 9 |
| 4 | 1 | Elle King - Under the Influence | 10 |
| 5 | 4 | Coldplay - Adventure of A Lifetime | 15 |
| 6 | 6 | Florence + the Machine - Delilah | 7 |
| 7 | 7 | City and Colour - Lover Come Back | 14 |
| 8 | 10 | Half Moon Run - Turn Your Love | 16 |
| 9 | 9 | Beach House - Space Song | 9 |
| 10 | 8 | Lake Street Dive - Call Off Your Dog | 12 |
| 11 | 12 | Tame Impala - The Less I Know the Better | 6 |
| 12 | 16 | Run River North - Run or Hide | 6 |
| 13 | 11 | Martin Courtney - Northern Highway | 18 |
| 14 | 14 | Avid Dancer - I Feel It | 8 |
| 15 | 13 | Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - Look It Here | 7 |
| 16 | 17 | Taylor Centers - Dodged Your Bullet | 9 |
| 17 | 28 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK: THE PARLOR "The Surgeon's Knife" Album: Wahzu Wahzu |
4 |
| 18 | 29 | Kaleo - Way Down We Go | 5 |
| 19 | 19 | Chris Stapleton - Traveller | 16 |
| 20 | 21 | Hippo Campus - South | 9 |
Tremors:
| 101 | The Record Company - Off the Ground | |
| 102 | 102 | Banners - Shine a Light |
| 103 | Panama Wedding - Infinite High |
|
|
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.
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