The Arcade Fire Test

They had the #1 selling album in the country recently (much of it due to a $3.99 online sale, but still) They recently played two nights at Madison Square Garden. They landed a guest spot on the Daily Show. Their album is almost universally acclaimed and the first single is a catchy number that would have torn up the charts in a less teen-pop obsessed era. But "Ready to Start" is only number 20 on the alternative rock chart, number 18 on the Canadian rock chart and not even charting AAA. What is wrong with this picture? The answer is simple. Some stations while reporting themselves as alternative, obviously do not know the meaning of the word. We are not talking We Are Scientists! obscure here. There's really no excuse not to have this band in your rotation if you fancy yourself Alternative or Adult Alternative. So who is ready to start? Who isn't? It's simple pass/fail. If you're playing something off Ths Suburbs in your rotation you pass. If not then you're either a glorified active rock station or a hot adult contemporary station with delusions of glory.

Pass

CFNY Toronto Alternative
CHDI Edmonton Alternative
CHHR Vancouver BC AAA
CIDR Windsor/Detroit AAA
CILV Ottawa Alternative
CJZN Victoria BC Alternative
CKIC Winnepeg Alternative
CKLC Kingston ON Alternative
CKPK Vancouver AAA
KBZT San Diego Alternative
KFRR Fresno Alternative
KGSR Austin AAA
KINB Oklahoma City Alternative
KITS San Francisco Alternative
KNDD Seattle Alternative
KNRK Portland OR Alternative
KNXX Baton Rouge Alternative
KROQ Los Angeles Alternative
KROX Austin Alternative
KRXF Bend OR Alterntive
KRXP Colorado Springs
KRZQ Reno Alternative
KSJD San Jose Alternative
KSLG Eureka CA Alternative
KTGB Kansas City AAA
KXRK Salt Lake City Alternative
KXUL Monroe LA (College)
WAPS Akron AAA
WARQ Columbia SC Alternative
WBER Rochester NY Alternative
WBRU Providence Alternative
WCNR Charlottesville VA AAA
WDST Woodstock NY AAA
WEQX Manchester VT Alternative
WEXT Albany NY AAA
WFIV Knoxville AAA
WFNX Boston Alternative
WFPK Louisville AAA
WFUV New York AAA
WKRK Cleveland Alternative
WMMM Madision AAA
WNRN Charlottesville VA Alternative
WPNH Plymouth NH Alternative
WQKL Ann Arbor AAA
KRBZ Kansas City Alternative
WRFF Philadelphia Alternative
WRNR Annapolis AAA
WRSI Northhampton MA AAA
WRXP New York AAA
WRZX Indianapolis Alternative
WTGZ Auburn AL Alternative
WTMD Baltimore AAA
WUKY Lexington AAA
WWCD Columbus OH Alternative
WWWQ-2 Atlanta Alternative
WXPN Philadelphia AAA
WXPN-2 (Y-Rock) Alternative
WXRT Chicago AAA
WYEP Pittsburgh AAA
WYMS Milwaukee AAA
XETRA Tijuana/San Diego Alternative

Now it is my sad duty to report the fails

CIMX -- Windsor/Detroit "Alternative"
CJLX -- Belleville ON (A Canadian college station!)
KBCO -- Denver Adult "Alternative"
KCCQ -- Ames IA "Alternative"
KCXX -- Riverside/San Bernadino CA "Alternative"
KDAL -- Duluth MN Adult "Alternative"
KDGE -- Dallas "Alternative"
KEXX -- Phoenix AZ "Alternative"
KEZP -- Alexandria LA "Alternative"
KFMA -- Tuscon AZ "Alternative"
KFOG -- San Francisco Adult "Alternative"
KINK -- Portland OR Adult 'Alternative"
KLRR -- Bend OR Adult "Alternative"
KMSS -- Bozeman MT Adult "Alternative"
KMTT -- Seattle Adult "Alternative
KMYZ -- Tulsa (Has 4 oount 'em 4 new Avenged Sevenfold songs in their rotation It's as if they're rubbing it in)
KPNT -- St. Louis "Alternative"
KPRI -- San Diego Adult "Alternative"
KPTL -- Des Moines IA Adult "Alternative"
KRSH -- Santa Rosa CA Adult "Alternative"
KQLZ -- Boise "Alternative"
KROG -- Medford/Ashland OR "Alternative"
KTBZ -- Houston "Alternative"
KTCL -- Denver "Alternative"
KTCZ -- Minneapolis/St. Paul Adult "Alternative"
KTEG -- Santa Fe "Alternative"
KTHX -- Reno NV Adult "Alternative"
KVGS -- Las Vegas "Alternative"
WBOS -- Boston "Alternative"
WBZT -- Plattsburgh NY "Alternative"
WCLZ -- Portland Me Adult "Alternative"
WCYY -- Portland Me "Alternative"
WEHM -- Southampton NY Adult "Alternative"
WEND -- Charlotte "Alternative"
WEQX -- Erie PA (Another college "alternative" station!)
WGRD -- Grand Rapids MI "Alternative"
WKQX -- Chicago "Alternative"
WKZE -- Red Hook NY Adult "Alternative"
WKZQ -- Myrtle Beach SC "Alternative"
WLCE -- Springfield IL Adult "Alternative"
WLUM -- Milwaukee WI "Alternative"
WMRQ -- Waterbury CT "Alternative"
WMVY -- Nantucket MA Adult "Alternative"
WPBZ -- West Palm Beach "Alternative"
WRKN -- New Orleans "Alternative"
WRNX -- Amherst MA Adult "Alternative"
WROX -- Virginia Beach "Alternative"
WRLT -- Nashville Adult "Alternative"
WRRV -- Middletown NY "Alternative"
WRXL -- Richmond VA "Alternative"
WSUN -- Tampa/St. Petersburg "Alternative"
WTBZ -- Sarasota FL "Alternative"
WTFX -- Louisville (Now reporting as Alternative, not quite there yet)
WTTS -- Indianapolis Adult "Alternative"
WTYD -- Deltaville VA Adult "Alternative"
WTZR -- Johnson City TN "Alternative"
WWDC -- Washington D.C. "Alternative"
WWWX -- Oshkosh WI "Alternative"
WXDX -- Pittsburgh "Alternative"
WXRV -- Boston Adult "Alternative"
WXSR -- Tallahasee FL "Alternative"
WXXJ -- Jacksonville FL "Alternative"

Essential 11 August 2010

Guaranteed Eclispse Free for the Month of August!

1. Burn It Down -- Los Lobos Finally, a new album, Getting hard and heavy airplay on WXPN -- deserves a lot more
2. Month of May -- Arcade Fire Some public stations are playing this instead of/in addition to "The Suburbs" and "Ready to Start" -- they also played it live on hte Daily Show -- a real barnbuner -- trockabilly gone indy.
3. Solitary Gun -- Rogue Wave The second single from their new album is steadily growing on me.
4. The Ghost Inside -- Broken Bells Solid song with a meloncholy fatalistic theme
5. Fader -- Temper Trap Follow up to Sweet Disposition proves that Temper Trap is not just for the falsetto fans.
6. Next Girls -- Black Keys Making a big noise for a duo, check out the video featuring the return of the singing dinosaur and a massive girlfight.
7, Barricade -- Interpol Verse chorus verse structure? Heresy!!!!! Sellout!!!!!
8. Animal -- Neon Trees OK. I surrender. Can't resist the hooks, the 80's vibe even the uh ohs. So what if it's starting to get CHR airplay? Good music is good music
9. The Mystery Zone -- Spoon Not the most accessible of the songs on the new album, but the rewards are commiserate with the difficulty.
10. Dog Days Are Ove -- Florence and the Machine Sorta like a punkier younger cousin to Kate Bush
11. Weeenders -- The Hold Steady A ballad with great lyrics and guitar work. The Springsteen compariosns are beside the point.