FATT and Adele Continue Domination (Music Review Week of 9/12/2011)

An interesting week with some well-known artists as well as some semi-newbies, so let's get right to it.

Fitz & the Tantrums' "Picking Up the Pieces of Love" finally dethrones Wilco's "I Might" to take the #1 spot on the Scenes'n'Soundwaves 100.   It's the soul outfit's second #1 on my chart, following the four-week run of "MoneyGrabber" last winter.    Wilco, after 4 weeks at the summit, drops to #2, but enters the top 10 on the Triple-A formatted radio chart run by Billboard.

But I think it would be a gross understatement if we didn't call 2011 the "Year of Adele".    Last week, the British soul singer added another feature to her cap, with her riveting performance of her current single "Someone Like You" at the VMA's.  As a result, that single jumped from 19 to 1 on the Hot 100, as mentioned last week.     It also resurges from 55 to 38 on my chart.  It had spent two weeks at the top last spring.     This is the week I also added another song from her best-selling 21 album, "I'll Be Waiting", a mid-tempo chugger recommended by a friend.    It's the fifth song from that album I have added, tying Arcade Fire's Grammy-winning The Suburbs for most tracks on my list.     All five of her songs are still here, including "Rolling In the Deep", now in its 40th week.


The top 5 is still solid this week, as The Kooks' "Junk of the Heart" is still growing on me, and switches places with the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "..Rain Dance Maggie".  Michelle Branch, Florence + the Machine, and Rachel Allyn enter the top 10 (the fourth such honor for Ms. Allyn, tying her with FATT and Adele for most appearances there)

The top 20 is entered this week by Death Cab for Cutie (2nd in a row), Anna Calvi, Bush (also second in a row), and an outfit called The Big Troubles, who are based in Ridgewood NJ.    Their song, "Bite Yr Tongue", a lush-wall-of-sound new wave entry by them.   Check them out in Brooklyn on September 22.  Their video for this song features some Jersey places, see if you can recognize some of them.  White Manna, anyone?

ELSEWHERE:   The top two debuts are follow-ups to top 10 songs.  As Best Coast's "Something In the Way" hangs in the top 5; their follow-up, "Our Deal" is the top debut and Pick of the Week at #55.    Apparently this is a big play for national airplay; the video was directed by actress Drew Barrymore and is going for airplay on VH-1, although it hasn't hit any charts yet.  As their name suggests, they are from the west coast (although we all know the best coast is right here in the east, right?).  Along with many other bands, they have embraced the "surf rock" revival sound, with a bit of British Invasion thrown in for good measure, and has sort of a 'sentimental sound'.  This is another winner and should join its predecessor in the top 5 pretty shortly.

The second highest entry belongs to Dom, the follow-up to "Living In America".  This one is called "Happy Birthday Party".  It's the first single from their new set Family of Love, a rhythmic, bouncy, new wave-ish kind of thing going on here.  Adele is next, followed by two bands who I often get confused with each other, Coldplay and Snow Patrol.    Coldplay's new single is "Paradise" and comes from their upcoming set Mylo Xyloto, due on October 24.    The first single, "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall", reached #22 on my chart.  This one, more in line with their style (not that the previous one was that drastic), is a slow moving piece rather orchestral in nature.  Coldplay was supposed to play here at PNC Bank Arts Center last Sunday, but was canceled.  Hopefully it'll be rescheduled soon.

Snow Patrol's new one is from their forthcoming album, Fallen Empires, due late this year or early 2012.  A great chugging, emotional uptempo entry from them entitled "Called Out in the Dark".   Worthy of several spins.  The band is touring overseas, but will be here in 2012.  


Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for Week of September 19, 2011

1	2	FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS "Pickin' Up the Pieces of Love" Album: Pickin' Up the Pieces	7
2	1	Wilco - I Might	8
3	4	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	10
4	3	Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie	9
5	5	Best Coast - Something In The Way	13
6	7	Lykke Li - Rich Kids Blues	8
7	6	Plan B- Love Goes Down	12
8	12	Michelle Branch - Loud Music	10
9	15	Florence + the Machine - What the Water Gave Me	4
10	14	Rachel Allyn - Lovely Lily	4
11	8	Avi Buffalo - How Come	12
12	10	Fitz and the Tantrums - Don't Gotta Work It Out	8
13	11	Los Lonely Boys - 16 Monkeys	9
14	24	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:   DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE "Stay Young Go Dancing" Album: Codes and Keys	6
15	22	Anna Calvi - Blackout	5
16	9	Brilliant Colors - Value Lines	10
17	21	Bush - The Sound of Winter	6
18	26	The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue	5
19	17	SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker	8
20	13	Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean	18

21	19	The Antlers - Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out	7
22	27	The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted	6
23	20	Maroon 5 f. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger	9
24	23	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	11
25	25	The Jayhawks - She Walks In So Many Ways	7
26	16	Rachel Allyn - Say Hello To Goodbye	16
27	43	MOVER OF THE WEEK:   SALLIE FORD AND THE SOUND OUTSIDE "I Swear" Album: Dirty Radio	4
28	18	Katy Perry - Last Friday Night	14
29	40	Thom Sebastian & the Hounds of Winter - Not Broken	3
30	29	PJ Harvey - Let England Shake	9
31	36	Cage the Elephant - Aberdeen	3
32	34	Macy Gray - Kissed It	5
33	32	Trevor Hall - Brand New Day	8
34	28	Zac Brown Band f Jimmy Buffet - Knee Deep	19
35	33	Foster the People - Helena Beat	10
36	31	Florence + the Machine - You Got the Love	18
37	41	Grouplove - Colours	8
38	55	Adele - Someone Like You	21
39	39	Haley Reinhart - House of the Rising Sun	5
40	30	Wild Flag - Romance	12
41	42	Incubus - Promises, Promises	9
42	47	Evanescence - What You Want	4
43	54	Mister Heavenly - Mister Heavenly	5
44	50	Cults - Go Outside	4
45	62	Oberhofer - Gotta Go	3
46	60	Surfer Blood- Swim	6
47	61	The Drums - Money	4
48	48	The Rosebuds - Second Bird of Paradise	6
49	35	Lenny Kravitz - Stand	10
50	38	Scotty McCreery - I Love You This Big	16
51	45	Adele - Rolling In the Deep	40
52	56	Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks	34
53	59	Mutemath - Blood Pressure	6
54	37	We Are Augustines - Chapel Song	13
55	----	TOP DEBUT:     BEST COAST "Our Deal" Album: Crazy For You	1
56	69	Lady Gaga - You and I	3
57	79	Imdela May - Mayhem	3
58	46	Kenny Chesney f. Grace Potter - You & Tequila	15
59	49	Jason Aldean - Dirt Road Anthem	7
60	53	Generationals - Ten Twenty Ten	11
61	73	Carolina Liar - Drown	2
62	75	Thompson Square - I Got You	3
63	44	Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights, Bigger City	11
64	68	Little Dragon - Shuffle a Dream	3
65	84	Bell X1 - 4 Minute Mile	2
66	----	Dom - Happy Birthday Party	1
67	65	Lady Antebellum - Just A Kiss	5
68	89	Man Man - Knuckle Down	2
69	52	Portugal the Man - Got It All	14
70	57	Adele - Rumour Has It	21
71	72	O.A.R.- Heaven	7
72	91	Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All	2
73	51	Fitz and the Tantrums - Dear Mr. President	14
74	96	Kate Voegele - Sandcastles	2
75	78	Alter Bridge - Ghost of Days Gone By	6
76	90	Needtobreathe - Drive All Night	2
77	58	The Band Perry - If I Die Young	11
78	66	My Morning Jacket - Holdin' On to Black Metal	17
79	82	Lauren Alaina - Like My Mother Does	4
80	95	Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes	3
81	----	Adele - I'll Be Waiting	1
82	71	Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down 'Cause I Moved Your Chair	16
83	88	The Mountain Goats - Estate Sale Sign	6
84	64	Train - Save Me San Francisco	19
85	94	White Denim - Drug	3
86	63	Yacht - Dystopia	12
87	74	Neon Trees - Your Surrender	21
88	----	Coldplay - Paradise	1
89	----	Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed	1
90	70	Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi-Two Against One	23
91	77	Goo Goo Dolls - All That You Are	10
92	----	Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman - It Begins Tonight	1
93	----	Snow Patrol - Called Out In the Dark	1
94	86	Foo Fighters - Walk	14
95	83	The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time	13
96	RE-ENTRY	Kopecky Family Band - Howlin' At the Moon	4
97	----	The Chills - Blue October	1
98	----	Rihanna - Cheers	1
99	----	Sublime with Rome - Take It Or Leave It	1
100	76	Arcade Fire - Month of May	18

Music Review - Week of 9/5/2011

Welcome everyone, from the rainforest.    Guess that week of nice sunny weather was just to allow for cleaning up from Irene, and to prep you for the weeklong rain we're getting now.     I hope the flooding problems are minimal; and also hope you did enjoy the Labor Day weekend as well.

Kind of a mish-mash of music that I've added this week, as my S&S 100 chart, especially at the top is pretty much stagnant.   A lot of music I continue to like and not grow tired of, so I just want to keep it around for awhile.    Even the bottom regions of the chart are competitive...I added seven songs this week but only 4 of them could crack the chart.   Throw in two songs that hit my top spot last winter and spring that are finally in the top three nationally (thus wanting to keep them around longer), and you have yourself a glut.   So here goes:

It's still Wilco for a fourth week at #1 with "I Might".    People have been waiting for their new album, but it's still three weeks away.   Luckily the band offered streaming audio of their new set on their website, The Whole Love, over the weekend in an effort to satisfy the curiousity factor.   The album drops on September 27, but if you want to see them live, catch them in Central Park in New York on the 22nd and 23rd.   They'll be in Raleigh, NC shortly thereafter before the tour takes them across the pond.

In the runner-up spot but seriously duking it out for the top is Fitz & the Tantrums' title track from their album "Pickin' Up the Pieces".   They guested on Jay Leno last week (and Letterman a few weeks before that).  They'll be in New York, at Terminal 5 come November as well as other points on the east coast.   Their single, "Don't Gotta Work it Out", hits the top 10 as well, becoming their fourth such song from their album to do so.  Only Adele has accomplished this so far.

As for the new stuff, Carolina Liar has the top debut with "Drown".  In spite of their moniker, the band hails from Sweden.  This hard but melodic song comes from their sophomore set Wild Blessed Freedom, which also drops on September 27th (a lot of album buying that day no doubt).  They've had success before, with 208's Coming to Terms producing the Hot 100 song "Show Me What I'm Looking For", and "I'm Not Over" hitting #3 on the Alternative chart.   It appears they are not currently touring, so for now you'll just have to listen to "Drown".

Next on the new list is the latest single from Bell X1, called "4 Minute Mile".   Bell X1 had a great song a couple years back, the Talking Heads/garage rock inspired "The Great Defector".     This Irish outfit is pretty versatile, songs of theirs rarely sound the same.    Their latest album Bloodless Coup, released this past spring had already yielded the single "Velcro", which reached #22 on my chart.   The new single, "4 Minute Mile" seems to be a mash-up of all different styles.   Beginning as a funky, jamming, rhythmic track reminiscient of The Rolling Stones' "Hot Stuff" or even Los Lonely Boys current "16 Monkeys", you can throw in Ray LaMontagne's "Repo Man", "Tough Enough" by The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and of course The Talking Heads.    A very good jam track from them worth checking out.

BRIEFLY:  Kelly Clarkson finally releases her long-awaited new track from her forthcoming album "Stronger", due October 24.  She remains my favorite Idol alum (and winner).  This one is rhythmic in nature that sounds a bit like Melissa Etheridge, a little Lily Allen or Fergie, and you could insert several other female singers as well.   But it's mostly Kelly.  "Knuckle Down" by Man Man, an "experimental" band from Philly...they're along the lines of Mister Heavenly who are currently in the top 100.


Finally, it's no secret I add songs early on, usually when they're released--if you like it you like it.   Sometimes they break, sometimes they don't, but sometimes it takes a while.   Two songs are in the national Billboard Hot 100 top 3 that were former #1's earlier in the year.   Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" reached #3 last week on the big chart, was my #1 back on March 21.   And Adele's "Someone Like You", the second single from the huge "21" jumps from #18 to #1 this week, to go 2-for-2 at the Hot 100's crest.   The ballad spent two weeks on my S&S chart beginning May 16th.   I'm still not sure what I will add as her fifth track from 21...I had originally thought "Lovesong", but a friend had recommended "I'll Be Waiting".  With "Set Fire to the Rain" dropping out of the top 20 this week, it's the first Adele-less week since last December 12.  I guarantee you that won't last for long.


Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 for week of September 5, 2011

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	1	WILCO "I Might" Album: The Whole Love (4 weeks at #1)	7
2	2	Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces	6
3	3	Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie	8
4	5	The Kooks - Junk of the Heart	9
5	6	Best Coast - Something In The Way	12
6	4	Plan B- Love Goes Down	11
7	7	Lykke Li - Rich Kids Blues	7
8	8	Avi Buffalo - How Come	11
9	9	Brilliant Colors - How Much Younger	9
10	12	Fitz and the Tantrums - Don't Gotta Work It Out	7
11	10	Los Lonely Boys - 16 Monkeys	8
12	17	Michelle Branch - Loud Music	9
13	11	Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean	17
14	19	Rachel Allyn - Lovely Lily	3
15	31	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:   FLORENCE + THE MACHINE "What the Water Gave Me" Album: (Forthcoming; Not yet titled)	3
16	14	Rachel Allyn - Say Hello To Goodbye	15
17	21	SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker	7
18	13	Katy Perry - Last Friday Night	13
19	18	The Antlers - Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out	6
20	15	Maroon 5 f. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger	8

21	23	Bush - The Sound of Winter	5
22	27	Anna Calvi - Blackout	4
23	16	Adele - Set Fire To the Rain	10
24	29	Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing	5
25	20	The Jayhawks - She Walks In So Many Ways	6
26	33	The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue	4
27	34	The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted	5
28	28	Zac Brown Band f Jimmy Buffet - Knee Deep	18
29	30	PJ Harvey - Let England Shake	8
30	22	Wild Flag - Romance	11
31	24	Florence + the Machine - You Got the Love	17
32	35	Trevor Hall - Brand New Day	7
33	25	Foster the People - Helena Beat	9
34	46	Macy Gray - Kissed It	4
35	38	Lenny Kravitz - Stand	9
36	60	Cage the Elephant - Aberdeen	2
37	26	We Are Augustines - Chapel Song	12
38	36	Scotty McCreery - I Love You This Big	15
39	50	Haley Reinhart - House of the Rising Sun	4
40	83	MOVER OF THE WEEK:   THOM SEBASTIAN & THE HOUNDS OF WINTER "Not Broken" (Single only)	2
41	53	Grouplove - Colours	7
42	49	Incubus - Promises, Promises	8
43	78	Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside - I Swear	3
44	37	Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights, Bigger City	10
45	40	Adele - Rolling In the Deep	39
46	42	Kenny Chesney f. Grace Potter - You & Tequila	14
47	64	Evanescence - What You Want	3
48	59	The Rosebuds - Second Bird of Paradise	5
49	44	Jason Aldean - Dirt Road Anthem	6
50	74	Cults - Go Outside	3
51	32	Fitz and the Tantrums - Dear Mr. President	13
52	41	Portugal the Man - Got It All	13
53	43	Generationals - Ten Twenty Ten	10
54	67	Mister Heavenly - Mister Heavenly	4
55	57	Adele - Someone Like You	20
56	63	Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks	33
57	45	Adele - Rumour Has It	20
58	58	The Band Perry - If I Die Young	10
59	73	Mutemath - Blood Pressure	5
60	76	Surfer Blood- Swim	5
61	77	The Drums - Money	3
62	90	Oberhofer - Gotta Go	2
63	39	Yacht - Dystopia	11
64	55	Train - Save Me San Francisco	18
65	80	Lady Antebellum - Just A Kiss	4
66	47	My Morning Jacket - Holdin' On to Black Metal	16
67	48	Gomez - Options	15
68	91	Little Dragon - Shuffle a Dream	2
69	94	Lady Gaga - You and I	2
70	69	Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi-Two Against One	22
71	71	Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down 'Cause I Moved Your Chair	15
72	82	O.A.R.- Heaven	6
73	----	TOP DEBUT:   CAROLINA LIAR "Drown" Album: Wild Blessed Freedom	1
74	65	Neon Trees - Your Surrender	20
75	96	Thompson Square - I Got You	2
76	54	Arcade Fire - Month of May	17
77	72	Goo Goo Dolls - All That You Are	9
78	85	Alter Bridge - Ghost of Days Gone By	5
79	95	Imdela May - Mayhem	2
80	52	The Black Keys - Everlasting Light	13
81	61	Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory	13
82	87	Lauren Alaina - Like My Mother Does	3
83	62	The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time	12
84	----	Bell X1 - 4 Minute Mile	1
85	51	Holy Ghost! - Do It Again	6
86	56	Foo Fighters - Walk	13
87	79	Colbie Calliat - Brighter Than the Sun	9
88	89	The Mountain Goats - Estate Sale Sign	5
89	----	Man Man - Knuckle Down	1
90	----	Needtobreathe - Drive All Night	1
91	----	Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All	1
92	68	KT Tunstall - Glamour Puss	11
93	84	Young the Giant - Cough Syrup	10
94	99	White Denim - Drug	2
95	100	Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes	2
96	----	Kate Voegele - Sandcastles	1
97	70	Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall	14
98	66	Beastie Boys - Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win	9
99	98	Jane's Addiction - Irresistable Force	4
100	81	The Strokes - Taken For A Fool	17