Fitz & and Tantrums are not on the SNS 100 this week for the first time in 62 months. But, what a run!
Since I started this blog in August of 2010, I have been introduced to various artists and band, through varied means, and, in spite of myself being a child of the 1960's, have managed to embrace bands in every decade. Of course, in the 2010's in the land of sparse pop and hip-hop, that is extremely hard to do; you just have to dig deeper.
Actually you have to go all the way back to November 2010, the third month of my blog, when I first heard a Fitz & the Tantrums song, "Money Grabber". It had an awesome video and it was a soulful throwback to the early 1970's Westbound (a record label) sound. It entered the SNS 100 at #84 and three weeks later, it became the first of eleven #1's. No other band has more than four, by the way. That song was from their debut album, Pickin' Up the Pieces. That album produced five other songs, all reaching my top 20, including another #1, the title track, and the second official single, "Don't Gotta Work It Out". The band, led by lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick as well as co-lead and percussionist Noelle Scaggs, got some rock and alternative airplay, and some of my friends started taking notice.
It wasn't until August 2012 when the last song from Pickin' Up the Pieces, "L.O.V" dropped off the chart, and the period from August '12 to early February '13 was "Fitz-less".
Enter "Out of My League".
On my playlist chart dated February 16, 2013, the Top Debut was indeed "Out of My League" from the then forthcoming album More Than Just a Dream, coming in at #37. Two weeks later, it started a seven week stint at #1, and was noticed by a couple of my friends. In fact three of them would catch them in concert in Atlantic City's Borgata casino that summer, and one of them would burn a CD for me. "Out of My League" tied a record for quickest rise to the top, equaled only by the holiday offering "I Feel It In My Bones", by The Killers, and later by Adele's "Hello". The track would take it's time moving up other charts, but it hit number one of Billboard's Alternative chart. Here on SNS, it stayed on my playlist for a whopping 63 weeks, then a record.
More Than Just a Dream was released in June 2013, and although it wasn't quite as soulful as their debut, it still had some killer tracks to it. While "Out of My League" was rising up the alternative chart, I went with the track "Keeping Our Eyes Out". It became their fourth SNS chart topper, staying there for four weeks later summer into September, and staying on the list for 40 weeks. The second single, "The Walker" was finally released at the end of the year, and again, hit the top spot for number five, and staying at the top for three weeks. It also became their second #1 on the alternative chart. It amassed 43 weeks on my list.
Once again, I went deep into the album, and picked the track "6 A.M". Although breaking the string of #1's, only hitting #3, it once again broke the record for longevity. Aided by two long hiatuses in my blog in 2014, it was the only song to appear on my list for three calendar years. Entering on June 22, 2014, it didn't leave my list until January 2016, even enjoying a resurgence in September 2015 at a Roselle Park friends event at Frenchy's Bar when it was played on their jukebox. It totaled 71 weeks on the list!
The third official single, "Fool's Gold" was released in late summer 2014, and it became my sixth chart topper, and top 20 alternative. While the album ran its course with the public by Spring 2015, I went with a final track, "Last Raindrop". That became their fifth #1 from that album and seventh overall.
Although it was three years since More Than Just a Dream, when the new single from their third, self titled, album came out in early 2016, "HandClap", coming in at a #27 debut, "Last Raindrop" was still on the list, ensuring the streak, then a little more than three years, would continue. "HandClap", like much of the album was a decided turn towards a more current, mainstream pop sound, and although I thought it was a disappointment of sorts, I still couldn't get that gimmicky song out of my mind. It became their biggest pop hit to date, landing at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at #5 Alternative, and here on SNS, their eighth #1.
Again, following the lead from previous sets, I plucked the next track, equally catchy "Complicated", for their ninth chart topper. It was also their fourth in a row, breaking a tie with their earlier string, as well as with Rachel Allyn's songs from 2010-11. The official second single, "Roll Up", a hint of their prior work, was their tenth #1 and carried the band into 2017. One more album track, "Get Right Back", another hint of their early stuff, became their eleventh, and to date, their most recent SNS #1, with the consecutive number one string at six.
Fitz & the Tantrums attempted to keeps themselves on the radio in the summer of 2017, with "Fool", their most commercial pop venture to date. Although it reached top 3 here (breaking their #1 streak), it was a disappointment, only scratching the bottom rungs of the rock charts, and peaking at #19 on the Hot Adult Contemporary list. Still, both "Fool" and "Get Right Back" stayed on my list until the end of 2017.
The streak might have ended there, but the band was visible during the holiday season of 2017. They appeared on the ABC special "Disney Magical Holiday Celebration" as well as a couple other holiday specials. They performed their 2010 holiday single, "Santa Stole My Lady". Normally, I only add holiday singles the same year they were released, or the following year, but because of the promotion (and that the song is done in their classic, retro style), I added the song. It peaked at #11 in January 2018, making the band 18-for-18 in top 20 entries. Because of the lack of new songs added thus far in 2018, the song stayed at the lower rungs of the SNS 100 until last week, April 15, 2018.
That song finally drops off the list this week, ending the remarkable run. However the band is still very active and visible in 2018, with a busy concert schedule and several Twitter tweets. For those here in New Jersey, they will be at the Stone Pony on June 15th, which may be an awesome show. No new releases are on the horizon, and "Fool" doesn't have an album home yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they would release another single this summer.
And perhaps start another streak.
HOUNDS OF SPRING?: While not as impressive as Fitz & the Tantrums' run, local studio band The Hounds of Winter also sees it's holiday 2017 song, a cover of The Band's "Christmas Must Be Tonight", fall off this week (making the SNS free of holiday songs from last year). Their streak started in August 2016 with their #1 "Oh Paige" as well as two other entries in 2017, ending with their holiday entry. Looking forward to new material from Tom Corea and the gang.
HERE AND NOW: Who says that marriage is dead? The bookends in this week's SNS top 10 are indeed by husband-and-wife duos. Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley comprise Tennis, as their second chart-topper "Modern Woman" spends a second week atop my chart. At the other end, Halo Circus, jumps 21-10 with the social commentary "Narcissist". Note that beginning this week, I changed their billing from "Allison Iraheta & Halo Circus" since they are billed that way on WEQX's playlist, as well as their Wikipedia page. Once a quartet, the band has now pared down to a duo, former American Idol finalist Iraheta and her husband Matthew Hager. It's the act's seventh straight SNS top 20 and second straight top 10.
Some really cool debuts this week, spearheaded by the new one by James Bay, the flavorful "Pink Lemonade". It enters at #60, easily topping the peak of his first SNS entry, 2016's "Let It Go" which peaked at #71. I am also excited by "Need Your Love", Curtis Harding, who reminds me a bit of Leon Bridges and perhaps Michael Kiwanunka, soulful, at times, retro, but with a nod to today. "I Feel Like Drowning" by Two Feet is also impressive, and Beck continues in fine form with "Colors", a worthy follow-up to the #1 "Up All Night". As explored and hinted at a couple weeks ago, I also take on Bebe Rexha's pop hit featuring Florida-Georgia line, "Meant to Be", as well as the latest by Bishop Briggs, Ash, and Awolnation.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
April 22,
2018
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Modern Woman"
Album: Yours Conditionally
(2 weeks at #1)
|
7 |
| 2 | 7 | Jeff Rosenstock - All This Useless Energy | 7 |
| 3 | 5 | The Palms - Don't Waste My Time | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | The Decemberists - Severed | 9 |
| 5 | 2 | Portugal. The Man - Live In the Moment● | 17 |
| 6 | 8 | Christina Taylor - American Dreamin' | 9 |
| 7 | 3 | Hegazy -Here To Stay | 10 |
| 8 | 13 | Amy Shark - Adore | 7 |
| 9 | 11 | Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - You Worry Me | 9 |
| 10 | 21 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Narcissist"
Album: Robots and Wranglers
|
6 |
| 11 | 4 | Bleachers - I Miss Those Days | 9 |
| 12 | 6 | Vance Joy - Lay It On Me | 14 |
| 13 | 17 | Jessica Lea Mayfield - Sorry Is Gone | 9 |
| 14 | 26 | Swimming With Bears - French Girls | 3 |
| 15 | 14 | The Killers - Run For Cover | 9 |
| 16 | 20 | Django Django - In Your Beat | 7 |
| 17 | 10 | Walk the Moon - One Foot | 15 |
| 18 | 12 | Moon Taxi - Two High● | 20 |
| 19 | 15 | Ed Sheeran - Perfect● | 16 |
| 20 | 22 | The Wombats - Lemon to A Knife Fight | 9 |
|
|
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.
The “Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100” is a list
of current and recent song playlist which I am listening to.
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