Hey everyone. Back after a one week hiatus which featured my annual camping trip to Roscoe, New York. It was nice to get back there after not being able to do so last year due to the pandemic. This was a tradition that some of my friends started forty years ago, and that I have done for twenty-seven. Many things are relaxed now, thank goodness, with some bands getting back to doing live gigs. Of course, we had to deal with rain on a couple of days, but the fun outweighed the inclement weather. As per usual, we shared a lot of music, both the popular and the obscure. It's interesting that many of the bands we talked about are very obscure but put out music that resonated with certain people. And word of mouth about them invited us to delve in and check out some of them. I do hope everyone had a safe Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer season, and that we remembered those who sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedom.
Anyway, a topic that has been on my mind for a while I wanted to address this week. It has to do with the proliferation of releases by artists, not only the popular ones, but the obscure ones as well. While in the past it was an artist or band releasing a single, waiting it to run its course, and then releasing another one, usually several months later. After a few singles off an album, the artist would wait a couple of years to release another one.
But we're in a different age. Currently popular artists such as Drake, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and the like release songs in rapid succession, to the point that Grande had the top 3 singles in the country one week, and Bieber three of the top five. The Weeknd, despite a big radio (and blog) hit with "Save Your Tears", actually had a few releases out since then.
The glut all but befuddled radio stations, which tend to add one song and gradually increase its airplay which slowly rises up the airplay charts of various genres, most notably pop, Hot AC (Adult top 40), Adult Contemporary and Country. These songs often take half a year or more to rise up the charts. With many songs by an artist coming out, it's impossible for radio to "keep up" with it all.
But the same issue is happening with the up-and-coming artists that I feature, as well as fave alternative acts. Acts like Foster the People, Donna Missal, Molly Burch and Fitz & the Tantrums, put out several singles within a few weeks of each other, in advance of a forthcoming album. And even my favorite, featured artists are in the act: ScreenAge, which still has my top two, released those two songs within a month of each other, then released their album DNR, and at the same time, released a third song on video and are about to release a fourth video as well. Pageants released a couple songs within a month and a half, ahead of an album release in July. Oneric pumped out a couple of singles within a two month period as well, and are recording their debut album. David F. Porfirio has not only released singles every few weeks, but entire albums as well. And finally Matt Weiss has no fewer than FOUR songs out now: One with his band Off Guard, two others as featured vocalist on EDM songs, and yet another one which just came out in which he is featured vocalist.
My SNS 100 playlist that I maintain was designed to be like a radio station. I add songs each week, move them up when they etch into my mind or referenced by friends, level them off when the buzz subsides. Idealistically, I usually allow ten weeks before adding another by the same artist. But, in the case of these artists, they are so palatable that you can't help but join in on the excitement. ScreenAge, as stated above, has the top two, plus I am set to add "Going Back" next week. Porfirio has three songs on the list, as does Weiss, whose new one with Fablers, "Can I Be The One" I will probably wait a few weeks on, since "Under Your Skin" (with Scarabino) is a major mover on the list. Molly Burch, already with two songs on the list, including "Control", this week's Impact winner at #16, has released yet another single, "Heart of Gold", just a few weeks later; I may add that next week.
So, the question is, is an abundance of music too much at once? I guess that depends on the artist, but music history has shown that too much product can mean burnout. Whether it's a rapid release of singles, or even albums being pumped out after 8 months or so, people can grow tired of too much product by the same artist. One example is New Kids on the Block, a boy band that became popular in the late 1980's. They became teen idols and their record label started releasing a glut of product....at one point in late 1989, they released two separate singles..."Cover Girl" from their then-current second album Hangin' Tough, and a cover of "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time", from their debut. Both hit top 10, but one year later, there was an immense backlash against the band, and they never had another top 10 hit after mid-1990's "Tonight".
But, the circumstances have changed. While radio will pick one song that may stick around for awhile, much of the data for the Billboard Hot 100 chart comes from streaming. Thus, anytime a person who has subscribed to Spotify and the like, it counts towards the charts. So, the more product an artist releases, fans can simply stream the song and it counts.
It is a far cry from the past, but in a sense it's gone full circle. Back in the early and mid 1960's, labels would release a single (on a 45 rpm vinyl record), and when it ran its course, would release another one, then perhaps an album with that hit or two, plus "filler" songs: usually songs from that label's catalogue or covers of hit songs from that time period. When albums became popular and meaningful, record companies would release a single or two from it well after the album's release, as a tool to keep album sales coming in. The strategy would evolve in the 70's and 80's, where a lead single would be released, to whet appetites for the coming album; hence it would lead to big album sales. The label would then follow with multiple additional singles, sometimes as much as seven from the album to keep the artist on the radio, such was often the case with Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and others.
But labels by the 90's frowned on singles, as the suits determined that they took away from album sales; as many albums weren't as innovative from start to finish like their 60's and 70's counterpart. So record companies curtailed singles after a few weeks, or in some cases didn't release them commercially at all, only to radio stations. A big example of this was No Doubt's "Don't Speak", which was #1 on the airplay chart for 14 weeks but wasn't eligible for the Hot 100.
Perhaps because of this, listeners flocked to the illegal sites like Napster, where they could get it for free, as opposed to having to spend $18 to buy the CD just for one song. While those sites were eventually shut down, labels were forced to release digital downloads for these songs, eventually making them available. In a sense, singles were back, and you can download as many as you want for 99 cents each (which was generally the cost of those old vinyl 45's back in the day). That pretty much set the stage for the current streaming era.
A factor in the multiple releases nowadays is that radio isn't necessarily a factor for chart success. And many of these artists, though deserving, haven't made any charts yet, and artists hope that the more product out there, the more buzz, and spreading the word can lead to popularity. Much of the Hot 100 is driven by music fans streaming music apart from what is played on the radio. And of course, when an artist is actually good (and exciting to listen to, as is the case with ScreenAge), the more, the merrier!
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| Pop singer B.J. Thomas passed away from lung cancer last week. He was 78. |
LAST RAINDROP: Last week we lost pop singer B.J. Thomas, who had several memorable hits in the late 1960's through much of the 1970's. Beginning with a pop reading of Hank Williams' classic of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", his first top ten hit in 1966, he made the upper regions of the charts frequently. 1969's "Hooked on a Feeling", which in my opinion is much better than the Blue Swede cover five years hence, was his first top five. He had two number ones: "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" in 1970 which was from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song", from 1975. Other faves that he did were "Eyes of A New York Woman" (1968), "Everybody's Out of Town", "I Just Can Help Believing" (both 1970), "Mighty Clouds of Joy" (1971) which pre-dated his foray into Contemporary Christian music later in his career, and "Rock and Roll Lullaby" (1972) which featured members of the Beach Boys. He delved into country music later on, as well as, as mentioned above, Christian music. Thomas died of Stage IV lung cancer. He was 78.
CHARTS AND ADDS: It's a second week for ScreenAge as again, they hold the top two positions, except this time the songs are reversed. "Think Again", the second single from DNR, takes over the top spot from "North Star" which drops to #2. Since The Revivalists, the only other act to have the top two, only accomplished that feat for one week, the Screeners become the first band to dominate two weeks in a row. And looking at the top ten, they could be in that position for many weeks to come. "Think Again" becomes the band's third song to hit the top of my list; "Blue Eyed Addiction" was #1 last summer. "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd, holding at #3 is no longer at the top of the Hot 100, although it still leads other airplay charts, but points are now decreasing. Bebe Rexha's "Sacrifice" is a great song, but as a pop entry, it's dropping from the Adult Top 40 chart, any further advance will be from my playing the song and hoping it doesn't peak or burn out on me. Aside from Molly Burch's "Control", Einstein's Dad gets its second straight top 20, Meg Myers her third, and Kaleo, its third.
THRICE AS NICE: I have one hundred positions on my SNS 100 playlist, but many artists are represented as many as three times. They include Emily MacMahon, who, aside from fronting ScreenAge's top two, also has "Only Us", a former #1, hanging in at #61, the aforementioned David Porfirio and Matt Weiss, and Ian Roberts', whose band Tinkers Lane has the former #1 "Honey Honey", holding at #40, the follow-up "I Do Love You" bulleted at #52, and a solo add this week with "So Fine Summertime", a song he released in 2017 (although a video from 2011 exists), at #76. Like his holiday outing "Christmas At Our House", this song, perfect for the season, features Tom Corea, Steve Roman and Mario Licata from the Hounds of Winter, so that contingent actually has three entries as well, as the two Einstein's Dad songs (of which they are members) are also on the list.
NEW AND NOTEWORTY: Aside from the debut, "We Are Between" by Modest Mouse, much of the debuts have somewhat of a beach/summer theme. Aside from "So Fine Summertime", Deb Browning, R.Mark Black, and Too Much Sylvia are Carolina Beach Music songs, with Black's a cover of Jackie Wilson's "Whispers (Getting Louder)". Modest Mouse was popular in the 2000's, but only appeared twice in the blog era, with one top 20, "Lampshades on Fire" (#15 in 2015). This one is a very tasty 1980's throwback to the best of The Cure and should be their biggest in the blog era.
Also entering is the blog debut from Perfume Genius, which keeping with recent trends is a solo artist under the guise of a band name. In this case, it's Michael Alden Hadreas from Iowa. The song, "Describe" is a haunting, rather feedback-driven post grungy excursion which could grow on you. Also debuting is "Smile" by Wolf Alice, who have had three previous mid-chart blog entries. The song combines classic hard rock with a Billie Eilish-type rap, alternating back and forth. Could click with a few listens.
AND FINALLY...COMING SOON: We are two months away from the eleventh anniversary of my blog, and I am currently compiling a list of my favorite acts associated in one way or another with my home state of New Jersey over the past 60+ years. Should be interesting when you combine classic bands like The Four Seasons and The Rascals with new current acts. Stay tuned.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
May 23 & 30, 2021
|
This Week |
May 16 |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
|
1 |
2 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: DNR |
4 |
|
2 |
1 |
7 |
|
|
3 |
3 |
16 |
|
|
4 |
7 |
7 |
|
|
5 |
6 |
12 |
|
|
6 |
4 |
13 |
|
|
7 |
8 |
11 |
|
|
8 |
5 |
12 |
|
|
9 |
10 |
Elle King and Miranda Lambert - Drunk (And I Don'tWant to Go
Home) |
9 |
|
10 |
13 |
5 |
|
|
11 |
11 |
9 |
|
|
12 |
14 |
11 |
|
|
13 |
16 |
6 |
|
|
14 |
15 |
11 |
|
|
15 |
9 |
13 |
|
|
16 |
22 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: Romantic Images |
5 |
|
17 |
19 |
9 |
|
|
18 |
23 |
5 |
|
|
19 |
26 |
5 |
|
|
20 |
25 |
8 |
|
|
21 |
12 |
11 |
|
|
22 |
18 |
10 |
|
|
23 |
29 |
4 |
|
|
24 |
27 |
9 |
|
|
25 |
28 |
8 |
|
|
26 |
30 |
8 |
|
|
27 |
31 |
5 |
|
|
28 |
17 |
12 |
|
|
29 |
41 |
4 |
|
|
30 |
37 |
7 |
|
|
31 |
35 |
9 |
|
|
32 |
39 |
7 |
|
|
33 |
43 |
4 |
|
|
34 |
20 |
14 |
|
|
35 |
38 |
7 |
|
|
36 |
21 |
14 |
|
|
37 |
56 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: Today, We're the Greatest |
2 |
|
38 |
24 |
13 |
|
|
39 |
33 |
18 |
|
|
40 |
40 |
21 |
|
|
41 |
47 |
5 |
|
|
42 |
55 |
3 |
|
|
43 |
46 |
6 |
|
|
44 |
62 |
3 |
|
|
45 |
32 |
11 |
|
|
46 |
36 |
15 |
|
|
47 |
61 |
3 |
|
|
48 |
45 |
21 |
|
|
49 |
49 |
14 |
|
|
50 |
71 |
2 |
|
|
51 |
44 |
Black Coffee ft. Maxine Ashley and Sun El Musician - You Need Me |
16 |
|
52 |
64 |
3 |
|
|
53 |
42 |
15 |
|
|
54 |
34 |
10 |
|
|
55 |
48 |
27 |
|
|
56 |
53 |
8 |
|
|
57 |
73 |
2 |
|
|
58 |
60 |
6 |
|
|
59 |
65 |
10 |
|
|
60 |
67 |
4 |
|
|
61 |
52 |
21 |
|
|
62 |
72 |
3 |
|
|
63 |
58 |
9 |
|
|
64 |
70 |
4 |
|
|
65 |
69 |
8 |
|
|
66 |
50 |
18 |
|
|
67 |
54 |
9 |
|
|
68 |
59 |
10 |
|
|
69 |
76 |
3 |
|
|
70 |
63 |
17 |
|
|
71 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  Album: The Golden Casket |
1 |
|
72 |
57 |
16 |
|
|
73 |
51 |
12 |
|
|
74 |
82 |
2 |
|
|
75 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
76 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
77 |
66 |
18 |
|
|
78 |
85 |
3 |
|
|
79 |
79 |
19 |
|
|
80 |
87 |
2 |
|
|
81 |
68 |
20 |
|
|
82 |
74 |
19 |
|
|
83 |
89 |
2 |
|
|
84 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
85 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
86 |
75 |
13 |
|
|
87 |
90 |
2 |
|
|
88 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
89 |
83 |
26 |
|
|
90 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
91 |
80 |
11 |
|
|
92 |
84 |
8 |
|
|
93 |
77 |
17 |
|
|
94 |
78 |
15 |
|
|
95 |
88 |
10 |
|
|
96 |
92 |
3 |
|
|
97 |
81 |
16 |
|
|
98 |
86 |
7 |
|
|
99 |
91 |
21 |
|
|
100 |
93 |
12 |
|
|
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.
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