I know I am running late with this blog as it is several days behind. It is, indeed Sunday (and now Monday) of Labor Day weekend as I am writing this (September 5 and 6, to be exact). Many of us had a rough week during these past several days, as Hurricane Ida wrecked havoc in Louisiana then came up this way and spawned tornadoes in central and South Jersey, and flooding in the north part of the state as well as in New York City and its suburbs. At last count there were over 40 deaths in the tri-state area, and some rivers, such as the Passaic and Raritan, were or still are above flood stage, four days later. We had some nice, cool fall-like weather for a few days after that, but we had a very light shower on Saturday and today looks like another sunny (albeit warmer) day as well. My prayers go out to all those affected in one way or another by Ida.
As you know, last week, I finished up a special countdown of the artists had had a connection with my home state of New Jersey, which affected me in some way. It was a part of my eleventh anniversary of starting this blog, which was started on August 28, 2010 (dated August 23). I don't think I would have guessed that I'd still be doing this in 2021 but I'm still here. There are so many times I thought I'd throw in the towel. I have taken hiatuses a few times, only to come back. The past year has been rather tumultuous as I have covered many aspiring artists trying to make a career out of music, and even dropping in on some of their local, live gigs. To do this and update my playlist each week does get a little tedious as, although I love searching for new, current music, I still have a connection with the songs and artists I've grown up with, during the past, almost sixty years.
Then there is the matter of purchasing versus streaming. My method has been, for twenty years, to buy digital downloads. For me, that is what I've been hoping for for decades, to be honest....to arrange and make my own playlists in any order I desire. Of course, before all that, there was vinyl, cassettes and CD's. It is worth noting that vinyl has been making a comeback in the past ten years, and while I fondly remember those days cranking up my stereo and putting on a (now) classic album, I am pretty much a "songs" person rather than an "album" one. I collected vinyl 45's as well as LP's. When we got into CD's, there were these players that enabled you to load tens of CD's to a unit and play tracks off of different ones in random. Someone I knew back then had something just like that. Then along came digital, first Napster and then the legal download sites like iTunes and Amazon. That was right up my alley and I've embraced it since, not only making playlists (including my "currents" list which serves as my Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100) but various ones. I've converted many old CD's, cassettes and vinyl to the mp3 format, and I was in ecstasy.
But, nowadays, at least for the past eight years or so, they have moved beyond digital downloads. We now have "streaming". The concept is similar to what I created with mp3, but now you don't have to buy individual tracks; you subscribe to a service like Spotify or Pandora. Even Apple and Amazon have streaming now. You pay a flat fee by the month and pretty much pick all the music that is available out there.
I have thought about going that route many times, as there are advantages or disadvantages to it. These services have suggested playlists or you can create your own. From an industry standpoint, it has pretty much saved the record business which had been floundering just twenty years earlier. And it has helped define the popularity of music...any time you stream a song, it counts towards tabulation of industry charts; the Hot 100, for example uses streaming (as well as radio airplay) to determine a song's current popularity). That had never been done before; if you bought a 45 rpm vinyl record, a CD or cassette single or even a digital download, it only counts once towards tabulation on the charts. Can you imagine every time you play a song on your stereo or iPod, that it would count towards tabulation of next week's Hot 100? It does so with streaming a song. And the artists that I follow, post that their songs have so-and-so number of streams and have encouraged their fans to "keep streaming". Sometimes I feel like I'm "shortchanging" them by purchasing a download, putting it on my iPod or iTunes library and not contributing to their stream total or possible chart position.
But there is a downside for me regarding streaming. While much of what is available as a digital download is also available for streaming---even the aspiring artists can stream songs--that would leave out those local artists who have recorded a CD which they simply give out at performances at fairs, festivals, farmers markets, etc. One such artist for me, would be my friend Gia Walton Ness, who last year made a CD, Incidental Music, which she distributes at her performances. I can upload the album to my computer to the mp3 format; two of the songs from that CD have made my top 10. I doubt that this CD is available to stream so if I converted to streaming, it would mean that I couldn't include her music. The same is true for Sarah Teti, who put out two CD's with The Hounds of Winter almost ten years ago; she recently lamented that her stuff is on an "old fashioned" format, namely CD.
But then we have an issue with The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights". I have been discussing in recent weeks that this song broke the record for most weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It has been listed for 90 weeks and is still in the top 20; in fact, it moved up a notch from the previous week. A Billboard policy is, to keep the chart "current", to remove descending songs from the chart if they had been listed for 20 weeks and dropped below the #50 position. Back in the 1960's, it was a different ballgame: A hit song would take a few weeks to become a hit, then descend; an average hit's life span was about 13 weeks, at which time, the record company would release another song by the artist. Radio stations would add the song, advance the position on its survey and then descend and remove it from the playlist. But that was then.
Radio nowadays stays with a song for much longer than 20 weeks. In some formats, a song gets played enough for almost a year and some cases even more, for the reason that familiarity encourages people to listen to their station. And people still stream the song continuously as well, ensuring a long run on the charts. While that may be great for business, it makes it harder for new music to come along to permeate the charts. Personally, I would get tired of a song if it charted for 90 weeks....it's time to move on, especially with many new artists hoping to have a breakthrough...or even giving the artist in question to quickly follow-up the hit. These days, a blog hit usually stays on my list for 20-25 weeks, but I've listed them longer. The record for the longest run on my blog list is 71 weeks, by "6 AM" by Fitz and the Tantrums. But that was mainly due to friends of mine embracing the song and band, something that is rarely done in an era, given that most of my friends have ignored anything that came out after 1987 or so.
And if you think 90 weeks is a long time for any song, look at the UK charts for this week. While the top of the list is current ("Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran is #1--it's #2 on both Billboard and my blog this week)--there are some long runners as well. "Blinding Lights" has been there for 92 weeks, and that's just the fourth longest. Three songs have been there for over 100 weeks, and the longest? Sheeran's "Perfect", which sits at #71 on the UK chart for....186 weeks! That's three and a half years! Yes, that is a great song, it was #1 on my blog....in 2018. It's a song that both my wife and I love; we've danced to it when we stream via Alexa (which probably contributes to it staying on the charts), but c'mon, let's get some new songs in there, to make new memories. And I noticed that Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" (yes, the Rumours track from 1977) is at #97. It seems that the charts are turning into an "all time" music chart rather then one that focuses on the last week's activity.
My other thought of the week concerned a television special that aired last week, CMA Country Jam, which was a taped, 3-hour special filmed in Nashville and featuring current country stars performing. It was a great show and although country isn't my favorite genre, it's become near the top, and I recognized some of the songs played, mostly by the likes of Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker and others. Included were newer stars like Carly Pierce, Laney Wilson and Gabby Barrett. That is great, but I keep wondering what it would take for aspiring artists like Christina Taylor to crack that elite. She is just as deserving as the artists who did perform. I kind of wonder how some artists spend years and years and several releases trying to make a splash, while others (not just Ms. Pierce, but many acts in the rock genre as well over the years) score on their first shot. Is it that much "hit or miss"? Just some food for thought.
AND NOW TO THE PLAYLIST: After a 15-week run atop my SNS 100, the female led bands have given way to the males, at least for now. Cold War Kids grab their third blog #1 as "What You Say" moves up from #4 to get their first leader since 2017's "So Tied Up" (featuring Bishop Briggs). The song, after a high debut (and second week drop) is slowly climbing the alternative charts and is also on Triple-A. You have to go back to May 8 to find another male band, Fleet Foxes, at the top of the list. Moving up 7-2 is Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits", which as mentioned earlier, tops the UK listing, as well as on Adult top 40, and #2 on the Hot 100. While the first time I heard that song, I thought that was a striking departure for him, repeated listens seem to point to rather standard Sheeran fare. Sheeran, who has 3 blog #1's (and two year-end honors) to his credit, could nab a fourth blog-topper possibly as early as next week. ScreenAge continues to have three songs in the top 20 as "Questions" drops a notch from 2-3, "Going Back" holds at #5, and "Think Again" moves back up a notch from 20-19. The quartet performed a show in Hoboken on September 4. Last week's #1, Pageants' "Just Tell Me" drops to #6 this week. Females or female-led bands still have 12 out of the top 20 this week. Nick Waterhouse and Jade Bird enter the top 10 this week, while Greta Van Fleet inches into the top 20 to grab Mover honors.
DEBUTS: Six new songs added this week, headed by the first Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats song in a while, "Survivor". Rateliff had several solo releases but this is the first with the Sweats since "Hey Mama" peaked at #8 blog in early 2019. The band has had two #1's on my list, including "S.O.B" back in 2015. You can tell the difference between Rateliff's solo work and that with his band...this new one is his best in a long time: Bluesy and soulful with ambience and complete with horns; the band seems to have a good time, something that was lacking with Rateliff's recent solo releases. It has a hint of the old Memphis soul sound going for it. A good bet to get better with subsequent listens. It grabs Top Debut honors at #76.
Close behind is the latest from Bebe Rexha, coming off her blog #2 "Sacrifice", with "Sabotage". This is a worthy follow-up to that unappreciated blog hit. While the production isn't full, Rexha's voice is heartful and soulful. A nice ballad which should do well on my blog list. Deb Browning came out on top of the heap of all the Carolina beach music songs I had added at the beginning of the summer, with "Stop Messin' With My Man" hitting my top 10. She follows it up with "In My Dreams". While this is hitting the beach music charts, for me it isn't really overt beach, but just a damn good song, and heck, you can shag to it anyway. Complete with strings and Ms. Browning's mature vocals, this is another winner. A bit retro in presentation (as is much of beach music), this will become a blog favorite just like the prior one.
I sometimes have to ponder whether Machine Gun Kelly is a pop or rock artist. He seems to be a fixture on many pop and hip-hop playlists, and his songs stick around forever on the alternative charts. But here, on "Papercuts" , you can tell he has a rock slant to it. It has that late 90's post grunge feel to it. He has been on my blog before, but this one could be his best one here yet. My Morning Jacket's latest, "Regularly Scheduled Programming" is a steady-sounding, straightforward yet adventurous journey, rather mind-blowing at times, song. The song builds as it goes on, until its end. Probably not their best, but should top the recent "Run It". Finally, making their blog debut is Aussie band Parcels, with "Comingback". With a piano backing the whole song, and a chorus intro, it's a light-hearted pop-filled harmonic romp that is catchy at times. Love the bongos near the end, where all the instruments and vocals come together. They seem to be having fun here. The band has been around since 2014. Very nice.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
August 29, 2021
|
This Week |
Last
Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
|
1 |
4 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: New Age Norms 3 |
10 |
|
2 |
7 |
8 |
|
|
3 |
2 |
13 |
|
|
4 |
3 |
14 |
|
|
5 |
5 |
13 |
|
|
6 |
1 |
13 |
|
|
7 |
6 |
15 |
|
|
8 |
8 |
12 |
|
|
9 |
13 |
6 |
|
|
10 |
15 |
7 |
|
|
11 |
12 |
11 |
|
|
12 |
14 |
9 |
|
|
13 |
9 |
14 |
|
|
14 |
10 |
13 |
|
|
15 |
11 |
14 |
|
|
16 |
17 |
7 |
|
|
17 |
19 |
9 |
|
|
18 |
16 |
18 |
|
|
19 |
20 |
17 |
|
|
20 |
22 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: The Battle at Garden's Gate |
15 |
|
21 |
30 |
4 |
|
|
22 |
21 |
10 |
|
|
23 |
25 |
9 |
|
|
24 |
32 |
7 |
|
|
25 |
27 |
7 |
|
|
26 |
29 |
12 |
|
|
27 |
18 |
13 |
|
|
28 |
23 |
12 |
|
|
29 |
45 |
3 |
|
|
30 |
33 |
10 |
|
|
31 |
34 |
8 |
|
|
32 |
35 |
9 |
|
|
33 |
40 |
4 |
|
|
34 |
38 |
7 |
|
|
35 |
39 |
7 |
|
|
36 |
24 |
16 |
|
|
37 |
28 |
13 |
|
|
38 |
36 |
6 |
|
|
39 |
41 |
4 |
|
|
40 |
44 |
4 |
|
|
41 |
26 |
13 |
|
|
42 |
47 |
6 |
|
|
43 |
43 |
7 |
|
|
44 |
49 |
3 |
|
|
45 |
31 |
10 |
|
|
46 |
46 |
5 |
|
|
47 |
50 |
8 |
|
|
48 |
42 |
8 |
|
|
49 |
52 |
4 |
|
|
50 |
56 |
3 |
|
|
51 |
48 |
11 |
|
|
52 |
66 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  "Beggin'" Album: Chosen (EP) |
2 |
|
53 |
57 |
6 |
|
|
54 |
51 |
9 |
|
|
55 |
58 |
Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors - Stone Meets the Sea |
5 |
|
56 |
59 |
8 |
|
|
57 |
61 |
4 |
|
|
58 |
64 |
4 |
|
|
59 |
37 |
16 |
|
|
60 |
65 |
3 |
|
|
61 |
54 |
13 |
|
|
62 |
53 |
8 |
|
|
63 |
67 |
8 |
|
|
64 |
63 |
8 |
|
|
65 |
70 |
11 |
|
|
66 |
55 |
11 |
|
|
67 |
74 |
2 |
|
|
68 |
69 |
5 |
|
|
69 |
77 |
2 |
|
|
70 |
80 |
2 |
|
|
71 |
75 |
2 |
|
|
72 |
79 |
3 |
|
|
73 |
71 |
6 |
|
|
74 |
73 |
9 |
|
|
75 |
82 |
2 |
|
|
76 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  NATHANIEL RATELIFF AND THE NIGHT SWEATS "Survivor" Album: The Future |
1 |
|
77 |
60 |
11 |
|
|
78 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
79 |
62 |
9 |
|
|
80 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
81 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
82 |
91 |
2 |
|
|
83 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
84 |
68 |
12 |
|
|
85 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
86 |
81 |
5 |
|
|
87 |
85 |
26 |
|
|
88 |
90 |
3 |
|
|
89 |
92 |
5 |
|
|
90 |
93 |
3 |
|
|
91 |
76 |
15 |
|
|
92 |
83 |
29 |
|
|
93 |
87 |
Elle King and Miranda Lambert - Drunk (And I Don'tWant to Go
Home) |
22 |
|
94 |
72 |
16 |
|
|
95 |
86 |
10 |
|
|
96 |
78 |
14 |
|
|
97 |
84 |
17 |
|
|
98 |
88 |
10 |
|
|
99 |
89 |
5 |
|
|
100 |
94 |
9 |
|
|
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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