As you have probably gathered in the nine-plus years of doing this blog, and from my year-end lists, that I am pretty much a "singles" or "tracks" guy, and not an album one. The 1970's, the vintage decade for buying albums instead of singles, with classics galore is no longer there. With the glut of new music and bands out there, who really has the time to listen to entire albums? Well, aside from my friend Brian Sniatkowski who apparently finds the time to listen to a lot of albums where he can list 25 of his favorites each year. More power to ya, Brian!!!!
Unless it's an album by one of my local favorite up-and-coming artists, most recently Shannon Marsyada's Oceans, I usually stick to individual tracks. I will occasionally add album cuts which I feel are very noteworthy, or in the case of artists I love, will go deep on them, especially if there's no "official" single release form the set.
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| Fitz and the Tantrums' All the Feels: Pitting emotional vocals against current rhythms. |
One such case is that of Fitz and the Tantrums. They have been one of my favorite bands of the 2010's, and discovering tracks from their albums, the first two in particular has been a worthy endeavor. I loved the fact that lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Skaggs play off of each other. Their songs have hit the top spot on my playlist, and even went through a stretch of five years with at least one song on my playlist.
Which brings me to their fourth and latest album, All the Feels. As you may know, their previous, self titled album, released in 2016, saw the band head towards into a more frivolous, pop territory, most likely in an effort to break top 40 radio, with simple riffs, and catchy, but mostly meaningless lyrics. Despite that, four songs from that album reached my top spot.
For All the Feels, the band decided to release five of the seventeen songs as singles before the September 20 release of the album. The lead single, "123456" was in the same vein as "Handclap" from their last album, and although it became the 12th and most recent #1 on my SNS 100, it only reached #24 on Billboard's Alternative chart, and #20 on the Hot AC list. Next were releases, within a few weeks of each other: "I Need Help", "Don't Ever Let 'Em", the title track and "I Just Wanna Shine". "Help" peaked here at #3, "Don't" at #12, and "Shine" is up 78-65 in its second week on my list. However, none of those songs charted on Billboard at all.
Fitzpatrick has said that he wanted the public to get a good idea of the direction of this album by releasing several tracks ahead of the release; to get a good feel of the songs. He indicated that the album was packed with more meaning and emotion (which indeed had been reflected in the subsequent tracks, including "Help"). That seemed to resonate in the final output of these new songs, perhaps even more than their first couple releases.
But, the problem is that the first two albums, you actually felt what Fitzgerald was singing, because of the backing instrumentation. The new album, while the lyrics may be more meaningful, they are set to a rather sparse, pulsating beat, which takes away from perhaps the emotion set in by the vocals. You really need a combination of the singer's voice and the band's instruments and arrangments backing them to make this a cohesive effort. There are seventeen tracks on the album, but it seems the band is masking any emotion by covering them up with EDM (electronic dance music) beats. "OCD", 'Belladonna" and "Supermagic" fall especially in this category. It's hard to sing soulfully when it gets drowned out by simple, emotionless backing. Most of the tracks are too rhythmic, which perhaps is keeping with the current pop scene, but the band seems to be hanging on a cliff, trying to climb back up, but instead holding on desperately holding on to a tree root before free falling.
It seems with each track, the band is trying something different, but the more the riffs change, the more they stay the same. They are still apparently attempting to woo the pop audience.
Of course there are some good tracks on here. In the past, I seeked out tracks that weren't released as singles, such as "Picking Up the Pieces of Love", "6 AM", and "Keeping Our Eyes Out". On this album, aside from "I Need Help", there are some good, slower tracks. The backing tracks actually help "Ain't Nobody From Me", still rhythmic but enhancing and not threatening at all. "Dark Days' is another worthy track where Fitz's vocals hold back the backing instruments for the most part. The other tracks aren't bad, but as mentioned earlier, the group seems to want to delve into EDM and even hip-hop oriented beats.
The sad news is that although the album had been released on September, it didn't make the Billboard 200 album chart at all. In contrast, 2013's More Than Just A Dream peaked at #26, and their 2016 eponymous effort landed at #17. There really hasn't been any radio action on the tracks, subsequent from "123456", so you have to wonder if the band is now "over".
With my blog's new music coverage coming to an end (supposedly, we'll see in a couple of months), perhaps it's just as well. However, I do plan to add "Ain't Nobody But Me" and "Dark Days" to my playlist. While not winning any big plaudits, they had quite a run and were a big part of my soundtrack for the 2010's.
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| Wilco grabs the top spot with the sentimental "Love Is Everywhere (Beware)" from Ode to Joy. |
WILCO'S LOVE: Turning to the SNS 100, Wilco's "Love Is Everywhere (Beware)" moves to the top spot, becoming the outfit's second chart topper; "I Might" hit #1 back in the fall of 2011, and the band sets a blog record for the biggest gap between number one songs in the process. "I Might" spent the last of four weeks at the top on September 5, 2011, making it eight years and one and a half months between leaders. The prior record was held by Cold War Kids, whose "Louder Than Ever" hit the top in March, 2011 for the last of its four week run, going six years and eight months to "So Tied Up" (featuring Bishop Briggs), which started its three week reign in November 2017.
The album, Ode to Joy, peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200, and for me is a return to form, after the disappointing Star Wars (2015) and the under-the-radar (for me, anyway), Shmilco (2016). The tracks I added from those two albums, "Random Name Generator" (#36 SNS), and "If I Ever Was a Child" (#61 SNS), respectively, just didn't do it for me, although two friends, Brian Sniatkowski and Jim McGuirl, liked them. To each his own, I guess.
"Love Is Everywhere" peaked at #16 on Billboard's "Triple-A" chart, and there is a follow-up single, "Everyone Hides" which I will add in a couple of weeks. That track is already at #17 on that chart.
Close behind in the runner-up position is "My Cheating Heart" by Love Fame Tragedy, and either song can grab the top spot next week. Further down the top 10, the three women who entered that elite circle last week continue to inch up with bullets: Andreya Triana, Shannon Marsyada and Grace Potter are at 6, 7 and 8 this week.
Eight new adds this week, led by the latest track from Nick Waterhouse's great, fourth, self-titled endeavor. "Man Leaves Town" is one of the more obscure cuts on it (well, the whole album is rather "obscure" but that's a story for another time), and it debuts at #72. Molly Burch, whose music I really started getting into, especially her backing instrumentation (Fitz & the Tantrums, take notice!), "Only One" will most likely follow "Candy" into the top 10. The Jacks make their SNS debut with "Walk Away". Rex Orange County, whose "Loving Is Easy" went top 10 late last year, is back with "10/10"; Beach Bunny has its first SNS song with "Prom Queen"; the band hails from Chicago and has released 4 EPs, including their latest which includes the title track; The Blue Stones, following up two straight SNS top 20's with "Shaking Off the Rust". Finally, although both acts' prior singles are still climbing my list, Electric Guest and Foals debut with their latest, "The Runner", and "More", respectively.
FEEL THE LOVE: So, three songs in the top region of my playlist are titled: "Love is Everywhere", "Love Is Love", and "Love is All You Love". We've come a long way since "Love is Like Oxygen" and "Love is Thicker Than Water"!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
October 20, 2019
This
Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
1
|
3
|
NUMBER ONE:
Album: Ode to Joy
|
12
|
2
|
4
|
8
|
|
3
|
1
|
14
|
|
4
|
2
|
13
|
|
5
|
5
|
12
|
|
6
|
7
|
6
|
|
7
|
8
|
7
|
|
8
|
10
|
7
|
|
9
|
6
|
18
|
|
10
|
12
|
12
|
|
11
|
9
|
16
|
|
12
|
11
|
18
|
|
13
|
16
|
12
|
|
14
|
13
|
15
|
|
15
|
15
|
19
|
|
16
|
14
|
15
|
|
17
|
23
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
(Single Only)
|
7
|
18
|
24
|
8
|
|
19
|
25
|
13
|
|
20
|
19
|
18
|
|
21
|
17
|
10
|
|
22
|
18
|
9
|
|
23
|
20
|
17
|
|
24
|
26
|
8
|
|
25
|
38
|
4
|
|
26
|
21
|
14
|
|
27
|
27
|
14
|
|
28
|
33
|
7
|
|
29
|
43
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
"Vague"
Album: Station 42
|
4
|
30
|
37
|
7
|
|
31
|
32
|
15
|
|
32
|
28
|
10
|
|
33
|
30
|
17
|
|
34
|
42
|
6
|
|
35
|
22
|
11
|
|
36
|
34
|
20
|
|
37
|
36
|
10
|
|
38
|
29
|
15
|
|
39
|
50
|
4
|
|
40
|
44
|
8
|
|
41
|
35
|
15
|
|
42
|
48
|
5
|
|
43
|
31
|
16
|
|
44
|
39
|
16
|
|
45
|
60
|
4
|
|
46
|
64
|
3
|
|
47
|
41
|
17
|
|
48
|
55
|
4
|
|
49
|
47
|
15
|
|
50
|
57
|
5
|
|
51
|
61
|
3
|
|
52
|
71
|
2
|
|
53
|
46
|
19
|
|
54
|
74
|
2
|
|
55
|
40
|
29
|
|
56
|
49
|
15
|
|
57
|
68
|
3
|
|
58
|
51
|
22
|
|
59
|
63
|
6
|
|
60
|
45
|
13
|
|
61
|
53
|
28
|
|
62
|
54
|
21
|
|
63
|
56
|
7
|
|
64
|
76
|
2
|
|
65
|
78
|
2
|
|
66
|
62
|
13
|
|
67
|
58
|
20
|
|
68
|
70
|
4
|
|
69
|
52
|
16
|
|
70
|
69
|
11
|
|
71
|
82
|
2
|
|
72
|
77
|
3
|
|
73
|
65
|
6
|
|
74
|
---
|
TOP DEBUT:
Album: Nick Waterhouse
|
1
|
75
|
75
|
5
|
|
76
|
---
|
1
|
|
77
|
72
|
29
|
|
78
|
80
|
5
|
|
79
|
---
|
1
|
|
80
|
---
|
1
|
|
81
|
67
|
14
|
|
82
|
---
|
1
|
|
83
|
---
|
1
|
|
84
|
59
|
16
|
|
85
|
66
|
18
|
|
86
|
73
|
21
|
|
87
|
84
|
3
|
|
88
|
79
|
25
|
|
89
|
86
|
2
|
|
90
|
---
|
1
|
|
91
|
---
|
1
|
|
92
|
88
|
4
|
|
93
|
90
|
3
|
|
94
|
81
|
20
|
|
95
|
85
|
4
|
|
96
|
83
|
10
|
|
97
|
87
|
22
|
|
98
|
89
|
18
|
|
99
|
91
|
24
|
|
100
|
92
|
9
|
Songs with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs with 25 or more plays on my iPod/iTunes playlist.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod/iTunes playlist.
The “Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100” is a list of current and recent song playlist which I am listening to.
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