Singles Serving

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts. Introducing Christina Perri: a singer-songwriter from Philadelphia currently making waves with her first single, a lovely piano ballad underscored with some strings as well. Definitely a keeper even if it doesn't become a major hit.

Katy Perry feat. Kanye West - E.T. So, it's true I didn't really care for Katy Perry's album, Teenage Dream, even though I've liked all the singles from it so far. For its fourth single, "E.T.," she teams up with Kanye West to add some extra spice to a song that on the album showed some potential but as a single now really shines. Love the rapid fire stutter of the chorus "Take me, ta-ta-ta-take me..." Another hit for her for sure.

Breakage feat. Jess Mills - Fighting Fire. Gotta love Radio 1 for continuing to push dance tracks even though they generally aren't charting well these days. This one has a pretty rich bassline. Definitely fun, but not a must listen.

Dr. Dre feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey - I Need a Doctor. They performed this at the Grammys, which gave the song a pretty decent launch. I don't see this becoming a major hit though. It's not bad, but it rehashes the same territory that "Love the Way You Lie" covered much better.

Hurts - Sunday. This particularly upbeat track from Hurts was my favorite song from their album, Happiness, so it's nice to see it chosen as its fourth single. Bracing synth pop melody, decent beat, etc.

March New Album Releases

Although the surprise releases from Radiohead and Jessie J made February more exciting than I expected, it still pales by comparison with March, which looks downright like a fall month, so packed it is with big-name new releases. A big question mark looms over the Kanye West/Jay-Z collaboration, which was supposed to come out in March, but now I'm not sure.

Highlights:

Britney Spears - Femme Fatale (March 28). Who'd have thought 12 years ago that the teen pop sensation with the coy #1 single "...Baby One More Time" would still be going strong today? Of course she's one of the hottest properties in pop music, having staged a comeback the last few years after hitting bottom in the 2005-07 timeframe, wracked by bad tabloid press and personal troubles. This album's first single, "Hold It Against Me," became her third #1 hit in 3 years, following "3" and "Womanizer." The producers list reads like a who's-who of contemporary music: Max Martin, Danja, Bloodshy & Avant, Will.I.Am, Rodney Jerkins, and Stargate, among others.

The Strokes - Angles (March 22). The Strokes took an extended 5-year break after their third album, First Impressions of Earth, which was released in 2006 and wasn't quite as successful as their classic 2001 album, Is This It?, or even its positively received 2003 follow-up, Room on Fire. The band has promised this album will be a return to the simple rock sound of their first album that made them among the forerunners of the 2000s indie rock movement. First single, "Under Cover of Darkness," appears to deliver on this promise, bristling with a simple rock melody, low-fi production, scratchy guitars and a catchy tune.

R.E.M. - Collapse into Now (March 7). The Athens, Georgia-based band is now 31 years and 15 albums into its very successful run. Although they faltered a bit with their 2004 album, Around the Sun, they got back on track with the muscular, guitar-driven sound of 2008's Accelerate, an album I liked but didn't love. From what I've heard about this album though, I'm hoping it will be really great. The band has said they want to do something more varied and expansive, as well as personal, which brings to mind their 1992 masterpiece, Automatic for the People. If that's a reference point, it wouldn't be a bad thing at all. Quite a few tracks have already been released off of this, including "It Happened Today," a lovely, layered track that does indeed recall the band's early '90s work, but lean rocker "Mine Smell Like Honey" sounds like the band going even further back.

Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys! (March 7). British alternative rockers Elbow reached a career high with their fourth album, 2008's The Seldom Seen Kid, which won the Mercury Award and became the group's best-selling album. Given that album's success, I would expect this album will sound similar, although the band, which self-produced this album (like their last), said it intends this work to appeal to older fans. First single "Neat Little Rows" sounds like a pretty typical song from them.

The Vaccines - What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? (March 14). The London-based indie rock group finished second on the BBC Sounds of 2011 poll, but that didn't help push their recent single single "Post Break Up Sex," which despite being pretty fun peaked at a lowly #32. But rock bands are about albums, right? So it's still possible they'll be a big hit when this debut comes out. I haven't heard new single "If You Wanna" yet, but I'm looking forward to it, as well as the album.


Avril Lavigne - Goodbye Lullaby (March 7). Four years is a long time to wait for a new pop album, and this one has apparently been in the works for some time, with a release date once scheduled as early as 2009. But it's been a tumultuous time for the Canadian singer, who separated from and divorced her husband, Sum 41 member Deryck Whibley, last year. Butch Walker, who produced hit tracks on her last two albums ("My Happy Ending," "When You're Gone"), contributes only one song here, while the bulk of the album is produced by Lavigne herself; her ex-husband; or Swedish pop producer Max Martin, who helmed the album's first single "What the Hell."

Other releases:

Noah and the Whale - Last Night on Earth (March 7). British indie folk band best known for their hit "5 Years Time (Sun Sun Sun)," release their third album.

Lupe Fiasco - Lasers (March 8). American rapper comes out with his third album.

Pitbull - Planet Pit (March 8). Following last year's Spanish album, the rapper follows with an English one, featuring current single "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)" with T-Pain.

The Naked & Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You (March 14). This New Zealand alternative/electropop band's debut was a big hit down under last year. Now it's gets its UK release, featuring singles "Young Blood" and "Punching in a Dream."

The View - Bread & Circuses (March 14). Scottish band delivers its fourth album.

Rise Against - Endgame (March 15). Sixth album from the American punk rock band.

Chris Brown - F.A.M.E. (March 21). Chris Brown releases his fourth album, featuring hit singles "Yeah 3x," "Deuces" and "Look at Me Now."

Green Day - Awesome as F**k (March 22). Live album from the might rock band featuring mostly songs from 21st Century Breakdown but with some older favorites too.

Panic at the Disco - Vices & Virtues (March 22). Third album from the alternative rock band best known for their hit "I Write Sins Not Tragedies."

Snoop Dogg - Doggumentary (March 8). The rapper a U.S. senator once referred to as "snoopy snoopy poop dog" releases his 11th album, hot on the heels of last year's big hit with Katy Perry, "California Gurls."

A look ahead to April isn't nearly as interesting, but the highlights are shaping up to be Foo Fighters, Alison Krauss, Katy B, Glasvegas and Jamie Woon.

UK Singles Chart, March 5, 2011

1. Someone Like You - Adele

Adele holds the #1 spot for a second week with "Someone Like You." She also manages to keep her other single in the top 5, "Rolling in the Deep," which holds at #4. On the albums chart, 21 spends a fifth week at #1, while her 19 climbs two spots to #2, the highest that album has charted since its release 3 years ago.

3. S&M - Rihanna

Rihanna climbs 3 spots to #3 making "S&M" her third consecutive top 5 hit from Loud, making that album her first to score three top 5 hits in a row. "S&M" is the only new track in the top 5 this week.

6. Good Girl - Alexis Jordan

New face Alexis Jordan follows her recent #3 hit "Happiness" with a second top 10 hit, "Good Girl." Both are from her self-titled debut, released tomorrow.

8. Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga takes a 5-spot tumble with "Born This Way," the only single from last week's top 5 not to stay there. The track's 3-3-8 chart record has to be seen as a bit disappointing for such a key release. They better get the video out quick.

10. F**kin' Perfect - Pink

Pink climbs into the top 10 for the first time with "F**kin' Perfect," making the single her 15th top 10 hit. Her last single, "Raise Your Glass," missed the top 10, peaking at #13.

22. Singin' in the Rain/Umbrella - Glee Cast feat. Gwyneth Paltrow
(31. Forget You - Glee Cast feat. Gwyneth Paltrow)

Gwyneth Paltrow's guest appearance on Glee was a big hit (a second appearance is scheduled for this spring), so it's no surprise that it gives Glee the highest-charting single of the second season so far.

23. The Last Dance - Clare Maguire

British pop singer Clare Maguire makes her top 40 debut with "The Last Dance," the second single from her debut album, Light After Dark, out tomorrow.

Essential Albums of the '80s: Pet Shop Boys - Please (1986)

The Pet Shop Boys were the best among the '80s purveyors of synth pop, electronic music sitting somewhere between the intersection of new wave and dance pop. Please was their first album and immediately established the blueprint that has changed little in the 25 years since.

Contrast has definitely been a characteristic of their work and that is reflected here, as boldly dramatic pop songs like "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" sit nicely with quietly romantic songs like "Later Tonight." Upbeat pop melodies like "West End Girls"--their best-known song--and downbeat tunes like "Violence" (later remixed as b-side to 1993 single "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing") help establish their range of moods. Lyrically, you never quite know what you'll get with them. Are they being ironic or sincere? Sometimes its hard to tell, but many of the themes that resonate throughout their music start here, from the personal romantic yearnings "Love Comes Quickly" to the light social commentary of "Suburbia."

Although I wasn't into Pet Shop Boys in the '80s, I later became a big fan of theirs in the mid-'90s (they were big at my college) with Very (my favorite of their works) and their greatest hits Discography being my first tastes of their compelling sound. I have all of their albums since.

Best: West End Girls, Opportunities, Love Comes Quickly, Violence, Suburbia

Further Listening - Actually (1987)
Released a year later, Actually isn't much different from Please, embodying a similar mix of upbeat, downbeat, flow, fast, sincere and ironic songs with top-notch synth-pop production work. "It's a Sin" became their second UK #1 and third US top 10 hit, although the song I like best on this album is their Dusty Springfield collaboration, "What Have I Done to Deserve This," which after "West End Girls," is their second-best single from the '80s. Best: What Have I Done to Deserve This, It's a Sin, Heart, Rent, King's Cross

Personal Chart, February 26, 2011

Billboard Hot 100, March 5, 2011

1. Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga spends a second week at #1 with "Born This Way." The track is still #1 on iTunes and going strong at radio, although it's growth at radio has slowed quite dramatically, with her last 7 days spin gain at top 40 radio only about 300 spins at present. I think everyone's just catching their breath.

2. F**k You! - Cee Lo Green

It's great to finally see this single charting really high on the Hot 100. "F**K You!" was a #1 hit in Britain last fall and although it had been released in the U.S. late in the summer, it never really took off here. It never went away though and continued promotion has given it little bursts of strength until it's finally become a massive hit. First there was Gwyneth Paltrow's performance of the song on Glee, which resurrected it but didn't quite send it into the stratosphere. Green and Paltrow's Grammy Awards performance was what has really done the trick, pushing the track into the top 10 last week and up 5 spots to #2 this week. It's this week's Airplay Gainer. Read my post about recent profane pop music.

4. I Need a Doctor - Dr. Dre (feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey)

Last week's chart showed a little influence from the Grammys, but with that airing Sunday night and the chart week ending late Monday, there was only little more than a day for the show's awards and performances to have impact, so this week's chart demonstrates the effect much more prominently. This was performed at Grammys as a medley with Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie," which has a similar sound. Both songs were produced by Alex da Kid. The single makes a bold 28-notch leap to #4, the second-highest position a single with Dr. Dre as lead performer has ever reached, behind his #2 placing for "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" in 1993. Two years ago he hit #1 on Eminem's "Crack a Bottle."

8. Never Say Never - Justin Bieber (feat. Jaden Smith)

Also getting a nice push from his Grammy performance is Justin Bieber, whose latest single climbs 17 spots to #8. Top 40 radio may have soured on this, but fans are snapping it up, making it the Canadian teen singer's second top 10 hit.

26. Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Adele's recent chart fortunes in the UK have been well-documented here and in other places. Apparently Americans love her too, as Adele gets ready to assault the US with her new album, 21, which was released here Tuesday. Expect this to climb next week, as over at iTunes it's #3 right now, while her album 21 is #1, and in similar surprising fashion to what happened in Britain, 19 is #4! This is Adele's second top 40 hit after "Chasing Pavements," which hit #21 in 2008. I expect this will climb much higher.

27. The Cave - Mumford & Sons

Arcade Fire may have won Album of the Year, but the indie band that most impressed the Grammy audience was Mumford & Sons, the British indie/folk group that gave an astounding performance with Bob Dylan and the Avett Brothers. This was the song they performed, which was #68 last week and shoots up to #27. Their album, Sign No More, has been #2 the last two weeks. They had a rather incredible week last week, also winning the Brit Award for Best British album. "The Cave" is their first top 40 hit. Additionally, "Little Lion Man" re-enters the chart at #45.

28. E.T. - Katy Perry (feat. Kanye West)

Katy Perry scores her ninth top 40 hit with "E.T.," the fourth single from last year's album Teenage Dream. For its single release, the song has been updated with a guest rap from Kanye West. Surely it will be another hit for Perry, who's seen her last three consecutive singles reach #1.

32. Blow - Ke$ha

Ke$ha's latest single moves into the top 40 this week, up 19 spots. This is her 8th top 40 hit.

Singles Serving

Adele - Someone Like You. Accelerated into the limelight because of her live performance at last week's Brit Awards, "Someone Like You" has quickly overshadowed its predecessor "Rolling in the Deep." Comparisons to "Hometown Glory" are easy, but inaccurate, for "Someone Like You" is a superior song. It's just Adele and a piano, and that's all you need. Brilliant.

Take That - Kidz. Probably the edgiest you'll have ever heard the Mancunian former boyband. It's a great single, with a dirty electro stomp. Too bad it's probably not going to be a hit, as the midweeks show this only making the top 30. A video was filmed...why isn't it out?

Alexis Jordan - Good Girl. Alexis Jordan's second single isn't quite as clubby as "Happiness," but it's still definitely dance pop. I'm quite curious whether her debut album, out next week, will be all dance pop or span a range of pop styles. Not as glorious as "Happiness," but still pretty decent.

Clare Maguire - The Last Dance. On the basis of her dark and mysterious first single "Ain't Nobody," I wasn't sure that Clare Maguire was deserving of her 5th place finish on BBC Sounds of 2011. With this bold second single, awash in keyboards and power vocals, I can see it. Great song.

Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull - On the Floor. It's been 6 years since J.Lo's had a top 20 hit at pop radio and her last two singles, "Fresh Out of the Oven" and "Louboutins," generated very little heat. With Pitbull in tow, whose managed to guest star on basically every major pop hit of the last year, she may have finally found a winning formula. It does sound suspiciously like "Stereo Love," but it's her best single in a long time.

What the F**k?!

This week's Billboard Hot 100 singles chart has a rather unusual feature--three songs within the top 10 that include the f-word in the title, making it the most profane top 10 ever. Profanity in popular music is certainly not something new, but shouting it so prominently by making it part of the title isn't exactly commonplace for major mainstream hits.

The trend started last summer when Cee Lo Green released his rather shockingly titled "F**k You!," which, although it caused a few hands to clutch the pearls, has ultimately turned into a major international smash due to its memorable, cheeky premise. Then more recently, P!nk's greatest hits set's second single, "F**kin' Perfect" became a major hit, almost at the same time as Enrique Iglesias's "Tonight (I'm F**kin' You)."

Now I'm no prude and I've certainly never been a fan of musical censorship, but this degree of foul-tongued songwriting has even me feeling a bit school marmish. Dropping the f-bomb is supposed to add particular emphasis, but if it's this common now, does it lose some of that power?

The extent to which the f-word in these songs is resonant depends a bit on its use, which, in the case of these songs is different for each word. The f-word is a remarkably flexible term, embodying clear and varying meanings even within its verb, noun and adjectival forms.

It's most obvious form is as a verb to indicate coitus, which is how it's used in the Iglesias song. This use is considered obscene and frankly, most people I know when they use the f-word, it isn't in this manner. As such, the Iglesias song as actually the most offensive of the lot. I would definitely recommend avoiding having it play on your office iPod speakers.

When used as a command, as in Green's song, the f-word doesn't seem as obscene, although it is still clearly vulgar. Although technically this is still a coitus usage, I doubt most people think of it that way, and mean it just to say "I really don't like you" but in a nastier way.

P!nk's use of the f-word is adjectival, purely to provide extra emphasis, and as such doesn't really mean anything. Consequently, her use of the f-word in "F**kin' Perfect" is the least vulgar, although it is also the least meaningful.

Being as they are commercial-minded pop singers, all three of these songs showed up in radio friendly versions: "Forget You," "Tonight (I'm Loving You)," and simply "Perfect" (any airplay chart that claims stations are playing "F**k You!" instead of "Forget You" is lying). In these sanitized forms "Perfect" suffers the least, since frankly, the f-word serves little purpose in that song. "Tonight" becomes a typical pop music come on, rather than a really slutty one. But "Forget You," while fun, is a shadow of the greatness of "F**k You," since here the contrast of the sweetly retro melody and a sharp profanity serve the song well--a contrast that disappears with "Forget You," making the song's protagonist sound weak and undeserving of the woman he has been pursuing.

The moral of all this, if there is one, is that if you're going to drop an f-bomb in a pop music song and expect me to like, you'd better make it count. Otherwise, I'll be seeking out a more office friendly version.

Adele Makes Chart History

I didn't realize when I recapped the UK singles chart on Sunday that Adele had actually made chart history by becoming the only living artist to simultaneously have two top 5 singles and two top 5 albums. On the singles chart, her "Someone Like You" made a dramatic leap to #1 from #47 (the second-biggest leap to #1), while her last single, "Rolling in the Deep," climbed a notch to #4. Meanwhile, on the albums chart, her new album 21 spent a fourth week at #1, while her 2008 album, 19, climbed two spots to #4.

John Lennon was the last artist to have such a double chart double. In the weeks after his death in 1980, his album, Double Fantasy, quickly shot to the top of the chart. In the week of February 7, 1981, it was #1, while Lennon's 1971 album, Imagine, was #5. On the singles chart, The Double Fantasy release "Woman" was #1, while the "Imagine" single was #5. Interesting that in both cases, the albums and singles occupied the same chart positions--1 and 4 for Adele, and 1 and 5 for John Lennon.

Here's a clip of Adele's lovely Brit Awards performance of "Someone Like You."

Glee Recap: "Blame It on the Alcohol"

A scourge of underage drinking at McKinley High sets the stage for this week's episode.

Rachel begins her effort at songwriting, giving Finn a preview (and a hug...aww. Can they get back together? They are so cute). After Finn convinces her to do a little living, Rachel decides to throw a party while her dads are away on the Rosie O'Donnell cruise. Rachel serves wine coolers at the party and all of her guests seem...bored. Puck convinces her to turn up the music and break into the liquor cabinet, which leads to some real high school debauchery.

Blaine gives Rachel a surprisingly sensual kiss during "spin the bottle" and then duets with her, but wakes up in Kurt's bed the next morning. The next day she calls Blaine and asks him on a date and he says yes. It annoys Kurt, but Blaine finds it all quite confusing as he considers he might be bisexual. Rachel later tells Kurt that she really enjoyed the date, relating that they saw Love Story and dressed up like the characters. Kurt tells her this is really "gay," but she perseveres and declares that she will kiss him sober and see if the spark is still there.

Will, upset over his recent divorce and Emma's marriage, dons a cowboy hat and goes out with Bieste for a night of drinking and karaoke at a honky-tonk. This sets up a fun musical number, but is otherwise a throwaway scene. Bieste takes a rather inebriated Will home, who tells her it was the most fun he'd had in a really long time. He then proceeds to keep drinking, grades some papers (A+ for everyone) and then drunk calls Emma. Or at least he thought it was Emma; apparently it was really Sue.

At an anti-alcohol assembly, a cop shows slides of alcohol-related accidents, while backstage the glee club gets drunk, making a mess of their "Tik Tok" performance. Afterward, Sue gets on the P.A. system and plays Will's drunk voice message for the whole school. In the end though, Principal Figgins congratulates the group, thinking their on-stage drunkenness was an act to scare the school straight, which they apparently did. Despite the happy ending, Will is really unhappy about the club's antics, chews them out for drinking at school and vows that he will stop drinking and makes them pledge that they won't drink too.

Rachel and Kurt go to the coffee shop to ambush Blaine. Rachel walks up to him and plants a kiss on him, to which Blaine declares that he's 100% gay and thanks Rachel for clearing it up. Rachel is ecstatic though, since she now has good songwriting material.

Songs:

My Headband (original) - Rachel. Rachel's lyrics need some work, for sure, rhyming a lot of words without much feeling. Finn gives her an honest critique and she agrees it needs work.

Don't You Want Me (The Human League) - Blaine and Rachel. Blaine apparently has the hots for Rachel now. Nice to hear Rachel singing some '80s dance pop. They sound pretty good together actually.

Blame It (Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain) - Glee Cast. I'm not generally a fan of this song, but they have fun with it.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (Amos Milburn) - Will & Bieste. Musically this episode is all over the map: British '80s new wave pop, followed by American '00 R&B and then old, old, old country. This is Dot-Marie Jones' first Glee musical performance.

Tik Tok (Ke$ha) - Glee Cast. The kids do a rather energetic, Brittany-led rendition of the dance pop hit. Pretty fun, although clearly a very inappropriate choice that ends with Brittany and Santana puking on stage.

Best line: (Principal Figgins, referencing Ke$ha): "Performing the hit single from kee-dollar sign-ha..."

UK Singles Chart, February 26, 2011

1. Someone Like You - Adele
2. Price Tag - Jessie J (feat. B.o.B)
3. Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Hasn't the UK singles chart been full of surprises lately? Four weeks ago it was how Bruno Mars kept heavily hyped Adele from #1, then last week how Chipmunk and Chris Brown looked headed to #1 until a weekend surge kept Jessie J at the top for a second week.

This week has to be the biggest surprise yet though.

Going into the week, it was pretty clear that the #1 single was going to be Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." After 3 days of sales, the song managed to reach #3 last week, so the pretty well reasoned assumption was that after a full week of sales it would be vaulted to the top spot. That's really not even an out-there assumption. After all, the track has topped the charts all over the world and represents the first taste of a new album from one of the world's hottest acts. But it seems that everything works fast for Gaga these days...including the speed of her backlash. The naysayers seem to be gaining the upper hand, as "Born This Way" does not claim the easy #1 spot this week, and in fact can't even be #2, beat as it is by last week's #1 single by Jessie J that drops to #2.

So what emerged as the #1 single this week wasn't another new single or even a recent hit returning to the top but a rather unusual surge in popularity for Adele's "Someone Like You," the 21 album cut slated as the album's next single that was popular enough to chart in the lowest fourth of the top 40 the week the album was released and the week after. But Adele's apparently moving performance of the song on the Brit Awards this week pushed the track into the stratosphere. Wednesday it was in the top 20, Thursday it was #3, and Friday it was less than 200 copies behind "Born This Way." I hadn't been aware of this, and I actually listened to the last hour of the UK top 40 this afternoon, so it was a great surprise indeed to hear "Born This Way" at #3, which sent me scrambling to figure out what along with Jessie J was vying for #1.

Congratulations then to Adele who finally scores her first #1 hit after seeing "Chasing Pavements" and "Rolling in the Deep" reach #2, as well as last year's amazing run for "Make You Feel My Love," which got as high as #4. It is a pretty fantastic song and I expect it's going to stick around for awhile. But as this week's chart shows, there's no sure thing anymore.

6. S&M - Rihanna

Global pop sensation Rihanna climbs into the top 10 this week with "S&M," the third single from Loud, her fifth album, which was released late last year. This is her 17th top 10 hit.

8. Eyes Wide Shut - JLS (feat. Tinie Tempah)

JLS finally charts with the single version of "Eyes Wide Shut," having been in the top 40 the last 5 weeks with the album version that does include Tinie Tempah. Perhaps because so many people already shelled out for that version, or the fact that it's just not a very interesting song, leads it to become the group's lowest charting single, below last year's #6 peak for "One Shot." Still, they are 6 top 10 hits for 6 singles, which isn't bad.

14. Rocketeer - Far*East Movement (feat. Ryan Tedder)

Not quite the hit that "Like a G6" was, but not a major bomb either. This is the first solo appearance on the chart for Ryan Tedder, best known as one of pop music's most prolific hitmakers, but also as lead singer of the group OneRepublic, who hit the top 40 last year with "All the Right Moves."

31. Kidz - Take That

This single is out tomorrow, but charts this week on sales of the album track. For Take That 2.0, follow-up singles have been a mixed bag. The lead singles from their last two albums both hit #1, a feat that sadly Progress's brilliant first release, "The Flood" did not achieve, but while their 2006 album's second single, "Shine," also hit #1, their 2008 album's second single, "Up All Night," didn't even reach the top 10. I really hope "Kidz" can make the top 10, as it is another great single from them. It's #9 on the airplay chart, so at least there is some support there, although not as much as there was for "The Flood," which spent 5 weeks at #1 on the airplay chart.

36. Teenage Dream - Glee Cast

I'm sad to see this didn't chart higher. Is Glee no longer a major hitmaker in Britain? They seem to be flagging a bit in the US too, although this song was their best-selling US release, peaking at #8 last year. Nothing so far this season has sold all that well, with their highest-charting second season single so far being "Telephone," which hit #25.

Essential Albums of the '80s: Talking Heads - Remain in Light (1980)

When I think of New Wave music it isn't this, which is probably why I was surprised by it when I gave it a first listen recently. Much of the New Wave revival of the last few years was driven more by the genre's later years, when synth pop was more at the forefront. From what I've read, the term was first used for rock music that was experimental and distanced from punk, incorporating electronic and other influences. Remain in Light was the fourth and most acclaimed of the American New Wave band's albums (Rolling Stone named it #4 on their list of the best '80s albums), although the albums that followed after this were more commercially successful. The music is highly repetitive, relying on loops and African rhythms moreso than pop melodies, which are largely absent. It's funk influence is pretty evident too, such as on "The Great Curve," which uses a funky guitar lick, looped throughout with tribal beats, layers of vocals and some synthesizer blasts. "Once in a Lifetime" is the most recognizable track, having been used in the opening of Down and Out in Beverly Hills. The album's closing track, "The Overload" is its most foreboding, although I wouldn't call it moody. Interesting music, but probably not what I'm into.

Best: Once in a Lifetime, The Great Curve, Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)

Album Reviews

James Blake (4/5). British dubstep musician James Blake has named The XX as an inspiration, and certainly that is evident in his minimalist approach, but his rootsy approach is more akin to that of a plugged-in Bon Iver. "Lindisfarne I," for example, recalls Bon Iver's "Woods," consisting almost solely of an a Capella auto-tuned vocal. "Lindisfarne II" brings in the spare electronic melody making the parallel with The XX clearer. "Unluck" begins with electronic textures akin to LCD Soundsystem but Blake's soulful style pushes music somewhere closer to old school R&B. "The Wilhelm Scream," named after the infamous sound effect popularlized by Star Wars, is a gorgeous piece of electronic melancholy. The background textures start off light and clear, becomingly increasingly deep and murky, like Blake himself is sinking deeper into a muddled despair. Blake sounds best on his remake of Feist's "Limit to Your Love," having removed the auto-tune to let the slight rasp of his voice add a personal touch to the song's interplay of prominent acoustic piano and electronic bass. That the songs on the album's latter half are less grand than the first is not a major problem, since they adhere to the album's general mood and sound. Best: The Wilhelm Scream, Limit to Your Love, Unluck.

Destroyer - Kaputt (3.5/5). Kaputt is the ninth album from Canadian indie pop group Destroyer, a band I'd never heard of before until this album, which has gotten generally favorable reviews. This morning, that this album came on right after Pet Shop Boy's Please and I didn't notice the difference until the vocals came in should you give you an idea about the signposts for this work. Think sophisticated adult-oriented '80s pop with some hints of jazz. The first few songs pop along in this vein, and then comes the rather arresting "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker," a dramatic, track with an effective extended instrumental opening, even if its synth flute sounds like it should be backing some sort of sleazy made-for-TV melodrama. "Poor in Love" and the title track are lovely too, with a more expansive sound augmented by some horns. They're probably the most pop-oriented song of the set. The dreamy synth-based sound is interesting, but I can't see myself making this a must-listen later in the year, and other groups have mined the '80s synth-pop sound enough that this doesn't add anything significant to the conversation. Best: Kaputt, Poor in Love, Suicide Demo for Kara Walker.

Personal Chart, February 19, 2011

Billboard Hot 100, February 25, 2011

1. Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga scores the biggest #1 hit in recent memory with "Born This Way," the title track from her upcoming album due in May. It's hard to believe that the song still isn't a week old, having debuted around the world last Friday. It's #1 placement reflects just 3 days of sales and airplay, during which is sold 448,000 copies, the largest weekly digital sales by a female artist and third best 1-week tally overall. It's impact at radio was just as instant, where it debuted at #6 on Billboard Radio Songs (a record) and #14 on Pop Songs (second highest after Mariah Carey's #12 debut in 1993 for "Dreamlover"). As if those records aren't enough to distinguish it, it's also the 1000th #1 hit on the Hot 100, giving it a special place in history. I expected this song would do well, but to watch it become the fastest hit I've ever seen is pretty amazing. Of course its short history has already drawn a backlash, with naysayer poo-pooing it for sounding too much like Madonna's "Express Yourself" (as if that would be a bad thing). And her Grammy Award performance of the song Sunday night also drew mixed reviews, although the performance itself was overshadowed by her odd costume and apparent story that she spent the 72 hours leading up to the performance in that egg from which she "hatched." She is an odd one for sure, but she's certainly doing something right.

2. Firework - Katy Perry

Nothing else really matters besides Gaga this week, but there are a few other tidbits to note. One is the resurgence of Katy Perry's former #1 "Firework," which is bulleted and climbs back up a spot to #2. She owes this either to her song appearing on Glee, her performance at the Grammys or both. The song has spent 12 weeks in the top 3 now.

5. F**kin' Perfect - Pink
6. Tonight (I'm F**kin' You) - Enrique Iglesias (feat. Ludacris)
7. F**k You! - Cee Lo Green

It's official. All three F-word songs appear together in the top 10 this week, all lined up in fact from #5 to #7. Pink's drops a notch to #5 but is nonetheless bulleted and earns this week's airplay gainer. Cee Lo's hit reaches a new peak position at #7, buoyed no doubt by his rather lively Grammy performance with Gwyneth Paltrow. It's been on the Hot 100 for 25 weeks now.

8. S&M - Rihanna

Rihanna zooms up 23 notches to #8, scoring her 28th top 10 hit with "S&M," the third single from her album Loud. Rihanna has now scored three top 10 hits from every one of her albums except her debut, which had only the one ("Pon Da Replay").

11. What the Hell - Avril Lavigne

Canadian singer Avril Lavigne makes an impressive 12-spot climb to #11 with "What the Hell," her comeback single. If it can reach the top 10 next week, it will become her 6th single to do so.

18. Hit the Lights - Jay Sean (feat. Lil Wayne)

Jay Sean returns with little fanfare as he unveils the new single from his upcoming second album. It makes a pretty impressive top 20 debut, despite not having much impact at radio yet, far surpassing the peak of his last release, "2012 (It Ain't the End of the World)," which managed to only reach #31 despite getting a fair amount of radio and having a guest rap from Nicki Minaj.

19. Moment 4 Life - Nicki Minaj (feat. Drake)

Speaking of Miss Nicki Minaj, she climbs into the top 20 this week with "Moment 4 Life," which recently became her first #1 hit on the R&B chart.

23. I Do - Colbie Caillat

I don't.

25. Never Say Never - Justin Bieber (feat. Jaden Smith)

Bieber's new single finally lands in the top 40, up 24 spots to #25 on the back of his Grammy performance Sunday. I actually really enjoy this song. Probably my favorite from him so far. It's surprising that it flopped at top 40 radio, where it peaked at a a lowly #34. You'd think he'd be really hot at top 40, but despite all his press, he's still not had a really big hit.

34. Firework - Glee Cast
38. Thriller/Heads Will Roll - Glee Cast

The Glee kids land a couple more top 40 hits. "Thriller/Heads Will Roll" probably would have charted higher had its appearance on the Super Bowl Sunday special episode of Glee not messed up the timing of its sales chart-wise.

Lady Gaga - Billboard's 1000th #1

So, Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" is the 1000th #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. That's a pretty momentous milestone for the chart, which goes back to 1958, the early days of the rock era. Billboard has a fun feature to celebrate the event. Here's a look back at some of the previous milestone #1s.

1. Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson (August 4, 1958). 18 year-old Ricky Nelson had been a child on his parent's television series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet before he became a pop star. "Poor Little Fool" is a sweet little love song with a gentle guitar melody and rhythm good for slow dancing. Nine years after putting out this single, Nelson would give birth to twin sons Gunnar and Matthew, who would grow up to score the 727th #1 hit in 1990, "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection." Nelson himself would have one other #1 hit, "Travelin' Man" in 1961.

100. Deep Purple - Nino Tempo & April Stevens (November 16, 1963). Hear that harmonica? That's the sound of a good early '60s hit. This was the first and only #1 hit from the brother-and-sister duo from upstate New York. This also has a gentle, laid back feel compared to the pop music of today.

200. Honey - Bobby Goldsboro (April 13, 1968). "Honey" was the second and biggest top 10 hit for Bobby Goldsboro, a Floridian who later hosted a variety show. The song has a lush, strings-laden melody typical of the late '60s. This single spent 5 weeks at #1 and also topped the country chart. Despite this, the song is often derided as one of the worst of all time.

300. The Morning After - Maureen McGovern (August 4, 1973). "The Morning After" was the love theme from the film The Poseidon Adventure, a late 1972 release that became one of the most popular films of 1973, grossing nearly $100 million and garnering a best picture nomination. The song itself was nominated for the Best Song Oscar, but lost to Michael Jackson's "Ben," the 281st #1 hit. This was McGovern's only major hit--she had a second single that hit #18 in 1979, "Different Worlds."

400. Kiss and Say Goodbye - The Manhattans (July 24, 1976). That deep, silky spoken word intro screams "'70s R&B" I don't know much about The Manhattans--they only had one other top 10 hit. This seems like a pretty mellow song.

500. Keep on Loving You - R.E.O. Speedwagon (March 21, 1981). "Keep on Loving You" was the major hit from R.E.O. Speedwagon's Hi Fidelity, one of the biggest hit albums of the early '80s. This sounds like pretty typical early '80s rock. Not really what I'm into. The band would have a second #1 hit in 1985, "Can't Fight This Feeling."

600. There'll Be Sad Songs (to Make You Cry) - Billy Ocean (July 5, 1986). I remember Billy Ocean, but I can't say I remember this one. This was his second #1; his third, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" in 1988 was a bigger hit.

700. Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx (August 12, 1989). Only 3 years spanned between this and the 600th #1 hit, owing to the rapid turnover at the top of the chart in the late '80s. This song was a massive hit in 1989 and became a staple slow song of school dances (I remember that well).

800. You Are Not Alone - Michael Jackson (September 2, 1995). This was Michael Jackson's final of 13 #1 hits, a run that started with "Ben" (see above). The R. Kelly-produced ballad was the best thing about Jackson's uneven 1995 album, History.

900. The Way You Move - Outkast (February 14, 2004). The Valentine's Day #1 hit from 7 years ago was the last '00 #1. Outkast's "The Way You Move" was the second single from their massively successful 2003 album, Speakerboxx/The Love Below, and the follow-up to the bigger #1 hit, "Hey Ya!" (#899), one of the decade's defining pop songs.

Singles Serving

Lady Gaga - Born This Way. Lady Gaga's new single has taken the world by storm as I expected it would. Tomorrow, it will become the 1,000th #1 hit in America. It will also debut at #6 on the Billboard Radio Songs chart, the highest a track has ever debuted on that chart, beating the #9 debut in 2001 by Janet Jackson's "All for You." It's an epic dance pop track, which is what you would expect. Some people are disparaging it for sounding like Madonna's "Express Yourself," which I think is silly because 1) I don't think think it sounds like "Express Yourself" and 2) even if it did, so what? "Express Yourself" was a great song...and so it this.

The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness. The Strokes are getting ready to release their first album in 5 years. This sounds remarkably like anything they would have done in 2001 and that's probably a good thing, given that their popularity took a dive with their third album. I enjoy this song, but it's not a classic. It does have a nice guitar solo and a carefree feel.

Chromeo feat. Elly Jackson - Hot Mess. "Hot Mess" was not a standout track for me on Chromeo's Business Casual, but this new version with Elly Jackson of La Roux, which adds a new chorus with her vocals, is top notch synth pop. Really loving this single this week. It also fits right in with all the '80s music I've been listening to lately.

JLS feat. Tinie Tempah - Eyes Wide Shut. With this new single, JLS continues to prove the unfortunate fact that their music can be hit or miss. Last summer they released the pretty dreadful Sound of Music-inspired "The Club Is Alive," followed by the rather grand pop ballad "Love You More." Now we're back to mediocrity with this single, which sounds just like a slew of other upbeat synth-based, electro-tinged, dance-pop leaning, R&B-ish pop. When I try to recall in my mind what this song sounds like, I often end up with Chris Brown's "Yeah 3X" stuck in my head instead, since the songs are so interchangeable (and they're not even produced by the same person).

Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough. I was expecting this to be another remake of Depeche Mode's classic single. Too bad that's not what we get with this tepid ballad. Yes, you heard me, ballad. Not what you usually get with BEP, but they try a slow song here, and it really isn't very interesting. Even the video game sound effects can't save it.

Glee Recap: "Comeback"

Sue tries to kill herself because she has nothing left to live for after the Cheerios lost their championship. Emma decides Sue should join the glee club to get over her funk. It doesn't seem to warm her heart, but then will takes her to a pediatric cancer ward so they can sing for sick kids. In the end though, Sue betrays New Directions to go coach a rival glee club.

Sam fears he's losing Quinn to Finn, so he turns to Justin Bieber for some musical inspiration. Intrigued by the apparent power of Justin Bieber to make girls swoon, the guys tell Sam they want to join his one-man Justin Bieber tribute band. At first, Quinn is taken, but then Santana intervenes and Sam decides to dump Quinn for Santana.

Rachel turns to Brittany to help her build her brand as she is focusing on her career and trying to forget about boys. Rachel gets Brittany to dress like her, but everyone just thinks Brittany is the trend-setter with a Teen Vogue fashion shoot while Rachel is still fashion-challenged. Rachel decides to write an original song (something I've been waiting for them to do for some time) to get her spark back.

Songs:

Baby (Justin Bieber). Sam picks up a guitar for this acoustic rendition of the Canadian teen's biggest hit. He doesn't get much of it out before being mobbed by tween girls. He takes another stab at it in the rehearsal room in front of the Glee club. Sam pushes his hair forward in Justin Bieber style. Since Blaine came on the scene, I'd forgotten that Sam is pretty cute too.

Somebody to Love (Justin Bieber). Sam, Artie, Puck and Mike join up for this energetic, although minimally staged take on Bieber's second-biggest hit. Not sure why they are blowing chalk dust around. This is fun, but "Baby" was better.

Take Me or Leave Me (from "Rent"). Mercedes and Rachel have a "diva-off," which Sue manipulated into being. I don't care for the song and they seem to be duetting more than dueling. I guess that's the point, since at the end of the song they end up laughing and making up.

This Little Light of Mine (Harry Dixon Loes). Will on ukelele plus Sue and a group of cancer-stricken children makes for a nice moment.

I Know What Boys Like (The Waitresses). Is this Lauren's first song? I think it is, and she turns out a pretty sassy performance.

Sing (My Chemical Romance). Rachel and Finn kick it off and then everyone, including Sue--complete with plaid tracksuit--joins in.


As usual, the show is enjoyable, although I think this was definitely one of the season's weaker entries. Best line: (Rachel, describing her fashion sense) "Sexy schoolgirl librarian chic."

New Radiohead Saturday

Radiohead has announced it will release it's eighth album this Saturday. Titled The King of Limbs, there's not much information about it yet. Just like last time, although it's been rumored as being in the works, they've dropped it as a bomb without much pre-release fanfare. It can pre-ordered from their website.

Radio Gaga for 'Born This Way'

Lady Gaga's new single has zoomed up the radio airplay charts in the U.S. this week. If you thought Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" was impressive during it's first week, this is an order of magnitude bigger.

At top 40 radio, Britney's track opened with 619 spins on day 1, gaining an average of about 660 spins per day during its first week to clock in at 4618 on day 7, which put it at #16 on the chart.

"Born This Way" started with 1838 spins on day 1--about 3 times what Britney did--and 2 days later is up to 5190 spins after just 3 days, meaning she's gaining over 1700 spins per day right now. If she can keep that up over the next few days, the track should end up in the top 10--maybe even the top 5--at the end of its first week of airplay. That's pretty amazing. The top 40's second fastest gainer right now is Pink's "Perfect," which has gained about 1400 spins in the last 7 days. So Gaga's daily increase in radio plays is more than any other single's weekly increase at present. Very, very impressive.

Billboard has reported that the track is set to debut at #14 on the Pop Songs chart this week.