A few things on the plate this week so let's get right into it.
It's a fourth week at the top for Fleet Foxes' "Sunblind" which builds a little lead over the still-number 2 "Every kind of heaven" by Anna Lavigne, but both songs are still ahead of the pack, although they are decreasing in points. I'm still not tired of either one after nine weeks on the list, the last five in the 1-2 position. But, moving up fast is ScreenAge's "North Star" which jumps 8-3 in only its third week. It has gained a lot of points for a song this high on the list; in fact, it missed out by one point to get Mover of the Week honors. It's a sure fire bet to hit #1 in a couple of weeks, perhaps even next week. ScreenAge again seems to make my blog news as last night (April 30) they put on their first-ever online live performance. A bit more on that below.
"North Star" jumps over the still-bulleting Oneric, Jade Bird and The Weeknd, which hold their positions. Right behind them are Winnetka Bowling League's "Romantic Way", and The Offspring's first blog top 10, "Let the Bad Times Roll". The 11 to 20 area of the blog chart is active as well, led by Pageants "All Bets Aside" (26-14, Impact award), but Valerie June's "Call Me A Fool" (17-13), LP's "How Low Can You Go" (28-17), Elle King and Miranda Lambert's "Drunk" (29-18), The Neighborhood's "Star Gazing" (31-20), and David F. Porfirio's fourth straight top 20 as "Self Portrait" moves 25-19. Porfirio has two songs in the top 20, with his former #1, "That Night on Bergenline Avenue" a still-strong #11. Further down the list, The Black Keys' "Crawling Kingsnake" advances 63-41 to grab Mover honors.
 |
| Molly Burch's new single, "Control" is this week's Top Debut. |
DEBUTS, WE HAVE DEBUTS: A strong week for adds as all six songs are very good. Molly Burch follows up her top 20 "Emotion" with "Control", which is the lead single from her forthcoming album Romantic Images which drops in July. As was the case with "Emotion", it is again a departure from the loungy, ambience-driven style from her prior songs. This is more along a mid-tempo indie pop route for the Austin, Texas-based singer. It's a piano-and-drum song punctuated by Ms. Burch's vocal range. It's another palatable outing for her, with loads of soulful turns that keeps pulsating as the song goes on. Expect another blog hit for her.
BIG TAKE-OVERDRIVE? It's been awhile since we've heard from the mid-Hudson valley neo-reggae outfit The Big Takeover, the band which made a big splash at 2014's Rosendale (NY) Street Festival, and the band has gone on to play other notable events in the northeast, such as the Mountain Jam in New York's Catskills. They've hit my top 10 four times on my blog playlist and two others hit the top 20. As they have recently, they've often moved away from overt reggae, although it's still evident in their music, and their newest "Spilling Water" is no exception. Released in January, it escaped me until I wondered if they were releasing something new. The song has a mid-tempo shuffling beat which reminded me of The Bee Gees' 1989 final top 10 hit "One", but the instrumentation and NeeNee Rushie's voice ascends over that beat and the reggae and ska overtones take over (get it?) as the song builds to a nice finish. This should easily top last year's "Weight of the World".
And while we're at it, I do have a small beef with the band. Look on their Facebook page and they call themselves "BTO" for short, which stands for Big TakeOver, instead of "TBT". Why? True that TBT also stands for "throwback Thursday" but BTO also happens to be short for Bachman Turner Overdrive, one of my favorite 1970's groups. Granted, that was almost fifty years ago, and perhaps the core legion of fans were too young to remember that Canadian band. I wonder if the Takeover could do a cool reggae version of "Taking Care of Business"? Just thought I'd ask!
Einstein's Dad, coming off a recent top 10 with "OMT" are right back to follow that song with "Driving Home". The band, if you remember, is sort of a long-distance collaboration of musicians that made up The Hounds of Winter, led by Tom Corea, Steve Roman and Mario Licata, from various locations via the SoundBlend app. The band also includes Steven Shouse and Richard Bradley. This one has a more straight-ahead rock beat than "OMT" did with some nice guitar work, and Roman's vocals are pure Jersey and blend in very well with the music, somewhere between Bon Jovi's and Springsteen's. This is a more raw-sounding song and should top the #6 showing of "OMT". "Driving Home" is from a forthcoming second album, proving that Einstein's Dad isn't a one-shot deal. One wonders if and when the pandemic is over if these guys will all get together in person. Nicely done.
 |
| Pop star Bebe Rexha has a promising new single, "Sacrifie". |
Perhaps the next debut is a bit of a surprise, pop artist Bebe Rexha, with "Sacrifice". But it shouldn't be. Ms. Rexha, from New York City, has made my top 20 twice before. This one echoes, in a way Miley Cyrus' huge blog hit "Midnight Sky". It's got a dance/EDM driving beat, but the vocals are so heartful and emotional. The second time I heard it, blew me away. Expect this to be her biggest blog hit yet, surpassing 2019's "Last Hurrah" (#18).
Yet another strong song is Meg Myers' latest, "The Underground". Another rock song from the singer who hit my top 5 with a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" two years back. This has a strong, shuffling rock beat, not too far off from the last single, the #22 "Anyway You Wanna Love" earlier this year. I like this one better, though and the beat is more catchy. Should return her to the top 20.
Normally, a fave band like Kings of Leon would have the Top Debut any other week, but this week, they're on the low end of the totem pole. But that doesn't mean their latest, "Stormy Weather" is a dud. The follow-up to the #6 "The Bandit", this is a mid tempo song. I've always loved Caleb Followill's voice as it has that bar-band mentality in a good way. It's in their combo of alternative and southern rock. This one seems more of a stretching-out song than their other singles but at the same time, it's catchy. This should be another winner for them. It's from the Nashville contingent's eighth album, When You See Yourself.
If first impressions mean anything, the top 20 will be very crowded in a few weeks from this week's debuts.
PASSINGS: Aside from the fact that both artists' bands had hits with "Bye Bye Baby", The Four Seasons, and Bay City Rollers were pretty much two different bands. But both of those groups lost members recently: Joe Long, bassist from The Four Seasons, passed away on April 21, from COVID-19, at the age of 88, while Les McKeown who passed at 65 one day earlier, was the lead singer for the Scottish pop/rock band The Bay City Rollers and led the band during its hit-making period in the mid 1970's.
 |
| Joe Long, the bassist for The Four Seasons in the 1960's, passed away at age 88 due to COVID-19. |
Long was one of the "Jersey Boys", as a member of The Four Seasons. He was born in Elizabeth and passed away in Long Branch. Though not an original member, he joined the band in 1965 following the departure of Charles Calello. Long was on board for the Seasons hits like "Let's Hang On", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "C'mon Marianne" and many others. He stayed with the band into the early 1970's. Long was the second member in as many years to pass away. His bandmate Tommy DeVito died last year, also from COVID-19, at the age of 92. This leaves only Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio left from the classic 60's hitmaking lineup.
As for McKeown, his Scottish band, The Bay City Rollers rode the crest of the pop/rock and glam era in the UK in the early 1970's. A cover of the Seasons' "Bye Bye Baby" hit #1 in the UK in 1974. The following year, with "Rollermania" prevalent across the pond, a big promotion occurred in the states, hailing them as the "next Beatles". Of course, that didn't happen, but the band did have a #1 hit here, "Saturday Night", as well as three other top 20 hits in the U.S. After their popularity waned, McKeown took the band in a more new-wave direction, dropped the "Bay City' from their name, but made little impact. McKeown left the band then, but participated in various reunions afterwards.
MORE SCREENAGE: It seems that this Jersey band keeps making my blog each week, but it's well deserved. Aside from "North Star" jumping to my #3 slot, the band did their first "live" online performance on Friday, April 30, on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Aside from of a clip of them playing at 2019's Roselle Park Loves Art festival, it's the first time I've actually seen a performance of the band. Hearing the finished recording product in the studio is one thing, but to recreate the magic in a live performance is something completely different, and they delivered. The five song set began with "North Star", followed by last year's blog #1, "Blue Eyed Addiction". One of the band's influences is Hippo Campus, and they did a cover of that band's "Violet". Next came their blog breakthrough single from 2019, "Vague". But perhaps the biggest surprise was a cover of Maxine Nightingale's 1976 hit, "Right Back Where We Started From", stating that they played that song when they performed at 2019's version of Maplewoodstock. Just the fact that they know that song, #58 on my year-end list for 1976, is awesome, but the fact they killed it with their cover just shows how much versatile this band is.
In addition, I got a nice e-mail from the band's manager, Ann Novotny, who is also the mother of the band's drummer, Sam Novotny, offering me a chance to preview the band's upcoming album, DNR, which drops May 21. After one listen, all I can tell you is that the band delivered the goods and it's an awesome concept album. I'll have a more detailed review coming soon, but I am very excited for this band. A big thank you to Ann for the honor!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
April 25, 2021
|
This Week |
Last
Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
|
1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: Shore (4 weeks at #1) |
9 |
|
2 |
2 |
9 |
|
|
3 |
8 |
3 |
|
|
4 |
4 |
8 |
|
|
5 |
5 |
7 |
|
|
6 |
6 |
12 |
|
|
7 |
11 |
8 |
|
|
8 |
13 |
8 |
|
|
9 |
10 |
10 |
|
|
10 |
3 |
11 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
14 |
|
|
12 |
7 |
17 |
|
|
13 |
17 |
7 |
|
|
14 |
26 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  (Single Only) |
3 |
|
15 |
16 |
10 |
|
|
16 |
15 |
8 |
|
|
17 |
28 |
5 |
|
|
18 |
29 |
Elle King and Miranda Lambert - Drunk (And I Don'tWant to Go
Home) |
5 |
|
19 |
25 |
7 |
|
|
20 |
31 |
9 |
|
|
21 |
12 |
14 |
|
|
22 |
30 |
6 |
|
|
23 |
32 |
6 |
|
|
24 |
20 |
17 |
|
|
25 |
24 |
13 |
|
|
26 |
14 |
15 |
|
|
27 |
34 |
7 |
|
|
28 |
18 |
14 |
|
|
29 |
22 |
17 |
|
|
30 |
23 |
23 |
|
|
31 |
38 |
7 |
|
|
32 |
19 |
11 |
|
|
33 |
35 |
11 |
|
|
34 |
21 |
13 |
|
|
35 |
27 |
16 |
|
|
36 |
42 |
5 |
|
|
37 |
40 |
6 |
|
|
38 |
41 |
12 |
|
|
39 |
45 |
Black Coffee ft. Maxine Ashley and Sun El Musician - You Need Me |
12 |
|
40 |
52 |
4 |
|
|
41 |
63 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: Delta Kream |
2 |
|
42 |
33 |
10 |
|
|
43 |
47 |
7 |
|
|
44 |
57 |
4 |
|
|
45 |
36 |
22 |
|
|
46 |
58 |
4 |
|
|
47 |
56 |
5 |
|
|
48 |
44 |
8 |
|
|
49 |
59 |
3 |
|
|
50 |
37 |
13 |
|
|
51 |
54 |
5 |
|
|
52 |
61 |
3 |
|
|
53 |
53 |
9 |
|
|
54 |
39 |
15 |
|
|
55 |
46 |
16 |
|
|
56 |
68 |
3 |
|
|
57 |
49 |
15 |
|
|
58 |
55 |
6 |
|
|
59 |
43 |
17 |
|
|
60 |
50 |
15 |
|
|
61 |
51 |
12 |
|
|
62 |
67 |
5 |
|
|
63 |
69 |
5 |
|
|
64 |
71 |
6 |
|
|
65 |
66 |
10 |
|
|
66 |
48 |
14 |
|
|
67 |
73 |
4 |
|
|
68 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  "Control" Album: Romantic Images |
1 |
|
69 |
81 |
2 |
|
|
70 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
71 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
72 |
80 |
3 |
|
|
73 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
74 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
75 |
78 |
4 |
|
|
76 |
85 |
2 |
|
|
77 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
78 |
60 |
9 |
|
|
79 |
82 |
4 |
|
|
80 |
64 |
13 |
|
|
81 |
65 |
24 |
|
|
82 |
75 |
8 |
|
|
83 |
83 |
6 |
|
|
84 |
62 |
16 |
|
|
85 |
86 |
2 |
|
|
86 |
74 |
10 |
|
|
87 |
76 |
21 |
|
|
88 |
84 |
3 |
|
|
89 |
70 |
17 |
|
|
90 |
77 |
4 |
|
|
91 |
88 |
3 |
|
|
92 |
91 |
2 |
|
|
93 |
72 |
9 |
|
|
94 |
79 |
7 |
|
|
95 |
89 |
32 |
|
|
96 |
87 |
20 |
|
|
97 |
90 |
23 |
|
|
98 |
92 |
13 |
|
|
99 |
95 |
16 |
|
|
100 |
93 |
15 |
|
|
Songs with the greatest increase in
favorite points over the prior week. ●
Songs with
25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲ Songs with 50 or more plays.
No comments:
Post a Comment