I guess it is time for me to make my highly prestigious Super Bowl XLIV pick! I’m sure you’re all waiting with your Vegas bookie on hold until I reveal my opinion about this Sunday’s Big Game… Well here we go. I predict: New Orleans Saints 30, Indianapolis Colts 27.
Vampire Weekend and Spoon are the Saints and Colts of the SubModern world, as they sit at #1 and #2 again on the album chart this week. Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins” is also at #9t. The Soft Pack leap to #3 with their eponymous record, with “C’Mon” in at #4. Hot Chip’s One Life Stand is at #5, with the title track in at #9t. Teen Dream from Beach House gets to #6, with “Norway” at #12t. The Hotrats were one of last week’s Buzz Bands and they’re at #7t with Turn Ons, while their B-Boys cover lands at #18t. Red Pens are also at #7t, while “Hung Out” lands at #15t. Locksley debut at #10t with their new album Be In Love, as “The Whip” debuts at #18t. Dan Black, Retribution Gospel Choir and Surfer Blood all appear on both charts as well.
“Stylo” from Gorillaz spends a second week at #1 on the singles chart, though 2-D and company have to share with Buzz Band Malachai, who move up to #1t with “Snowflake.” Broken Bells remain at #3 with “The High Road.” Tied at #5 are “Little Lion Man” from Mumford & Sons and Neon Trees with “Animal.” The Whigs’ excellent new single “Kill Me Carolyne” leaps to #7, followed by “Laura” from Girls at #8. Over on the album chart, Yeasayer’s trippy new Odd Blood debuts at #4.
As always, some panel changes are afoot… KCXX/San Bernadino, CA is reviving its “Freshly Squeezed” Sunday night specialty show, effective this weekend. The show is now hosted by Daryl James and Vanessa Salazar. On the other hand, after three decades in the business, KUPD/Phoenix’s Jonathan L. is retiring from radio. Jonathan has been a longtime mainstay and supporter of the Modern Rock format. There is plenty of time to say goodbye though, as he won’t be ending “The Lopsided World of Jonathan L” until mid-April.
Read about Malachai and Fanfarlo as well as up-to-date retail data, a complete list of songs and albums that are available for airplay, and the weekly FMQB SubModern singles and albums charts. Finally, don't forget to send your playlists and add dates in tospecialty@fmqb.com.
Moving way up to a tie for #1 on the singles chart this week is the mysterious “Snowflake” from the British duo Malachai. The pair of artists that make up Malachai are only known as Gee (the vocalist) and Scott (the music-maker). Based in Bristol, England, the pair mashes together a wide variety of influences on their debut album Ugly Side Of Love. “Snowflake” mashes up a stalely piano and fuzzed-out guitar riff with Gee’s increasingly-infectious pronunciation of the word “roundabout.” There’s also a very different remix of “Snowflake” by Geoff Barrow of Portishead as the B-side. Barrow has mentored the pair and released Ugly Side Of Love overseas on his own Invada label imprint. “My generation grew up under a flag that had been hijacked by all the wrong people, but during my lifetime I’ve seen much to be proud of and it needs to be reclaimed,” says Gee, defending their everything-and-the-kitchen-sink mentality. “England is The Beatles, The Kinks, Del boy and roast dinners but it’s also The Specials, Asian Dub Foundation, Desmonds, The Kumars and chicken tikka masala.” You can hear more from Malachai at www.myspace.com/malachaibristol or dominorecordco.us.
~ Joey Odorisio
Malachai
“Snowflake”
(Domino)
I love to say the name of this Buzz Band…Fanfarlo! Their frontman Simon Balthazar grew up in Sweden but is now based in London along with the other four members of the group: multi-instrumentalists Cathy Lucas and Leon Beckenham, bassist Justin Finch and drummer Amos Memon. The band has drawn comparisons to the Arcade Fire, mainly due to their wide use of instrumentation. On Reservoir, Fanfarlo employ clarinets, cellos, mandolins, ukuleles, melodicas, handclaps and much more. Reservoir was recorded in Bridgeport, CT with producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National). Balthazar says, “I always thought big with this band. Wanting to make music that everyone would love, which always seemed like a realistic expectation, given the response we got to our live performances. But although I hoped a producer might be the answer to flat recordings, it was an amazing relief to be able to say, yes, this is what it should sound like.” The single “Harold T. Willkins” had some Triple A radio play last year, but is getting a brighter spotlight shined on it now, with Reservoir being reissued by Canvasback/Atlantic. Reservoir comes in at #16t On the SubModern album chart this week. Fanfarlo is currently touring Europe, but will be in the U.S. for a handful of West Coast dates at the end of the month. Visit fanfarlo.com or canvasbackmusic.com for more.
~ Joey Odorisio
Fanfarlo
Reservoir
(Canvasback/Atlantic)
updated 02.03.10
#
Artist
Track
Label
1t.
Gorillaz
“Stylo”
(Virgin)
Malachai
“Snowflake”
(Domino)
3.
Broken Bells
“The
High Road”
(Columbia)
4.
The Soft Pack
“C’mon”
(Kemado)
5t.
Mumford & Sons
“Little
Lion Man”
(Glassnote)
Neon Trees
“Animal”
(Mercury)
7.
The Whigs
“Kill Me
Carolyne”
(ATO)
8.
Girls
“Laura”
(True
Panther Sounds/Matador)
9t.
Hot Chip
“One
Life Stand”
(Astralwerks)
Vampire Weekend
“Cousins”
(XL
Recordings)
11.
Reni Lane
“Place
For Us”
(Custard/Universal Motown)
12t.
1,2,3
“Confetti”
(Ooh La
La)
Beach House
“Norway”
(Sub
Pop)
Thrice
“In
Exile”
(Vagrant)
15t.
Phoenix
“Lisztomania”
(Loyaute/Glassnote)
Red Pens
“Hung
Out”
(Grain
Belt Records)
Rogue Wave
“Good
Morning (The Future)”
(Brushfire)
18t.
The Hotrats
“(You
Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)”
(Fat
Possum/RED)
Locksley
“The
Whip”
(self-released)
Retribution Gospel Choir
“Hide It
Away”
(Sub
Pop)
Sea Wolf
“O
Maria!”
(Dangerbird)
22t.
The Antlers
“Bear”
(Frenchkiss)
Dan Black
“Symphonies”
(The
Hours)
Flobots f/Tim McIlrath
“White
Flag Warrior”
(Universal Republic)
Surfer Blood
“Swim”
(Kanine)
updated 02.03.10
#
Artist
Album
Label
1.
Vampire Weekend
Contra
(XL
Recordings)
2.
Spoon
Transference
(Merge)
3.
The Soft Pack
The Soft Pack
(Kemado)
4.
Yeasayer
Odd Blood
(Secretly Canadian)
5.
Hot Chip
One Life Stand
(Astralwerks)
6.
Beach House
Teen Dream
(Sub
Pop)
7t.
The Hotrats
Turn Ons
(Fat
Possum/RED)
Red Pens
Reasons
(Grain
Belt Records)
9.
Reni Lane
Ready
(Custard/Universal Motown)
10t.
Locksley
Be In Love
(self-released)
Los Campesinos!
Romance Is Boring
(Arts &
Crafts)
12t.
Dan Black
((UN))
(The
Hours)
Editors
In This Light And On This Evening
(FADER
Label)
OK Go
Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky
(Capitol)
Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
(Glassnote/Loyaute)
16t.
David Bowie
A Reality Tour
(ISO/Columbia)
eels
End Times
(Vagrant)
Fanfarlo
Reservoir
(Canvasback/Atlantic)
Retribution Gospel Choir
2
(Sub
Pop)
Surfer Blood
Astro Coast
(Kanine)
21t.
Clem Snide
The Meat Of Life
(429
Records)
The Watson Twins
Talking To You, Talking To Me
(Vanguard)
23t.
Cold War Kids
Behave Yourself EP
(Downtown)
Langhorne Slim
Be Set Free
(Kemado)
Muse
The Resistance
(Warner
Bros.)
LW
TW
DAILY TOP 20
SUBMODERN ALBUM SALES - TUESDAY 2/2/10