As Autumn is upon us, like the leaves that begin to fall, some recent favourites of mine drop off my personal chart to make room for some noteable new blood. You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page.
There is no moving the Top 4 songs, no sirree they just aren’t a budging. “Wicked Baby”, the insanely catchy song that updates the Ace of Base vibe courtesy of Ro Danishei & Simon Curtis hangs on to #1 vying with Simon’s own victory cry “Laser Guns Up” in second place. “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People keeps its summery lustre long enough for another chart at #3, while “Disco Moment” by Bright Light Bright Light is solid and still on the rise at #4. The only change-up in the Top 5 sees Jessica 6’s duet with Antony Hegarty on “Prisoner Of Love” belatedly making a big gain in the face of so many great songs on the chart. A video for the song is forthcoming!
The rest of the Top 10 sees a major shakeup. The intense emotions of Matthew Kurz’s “Fix Me” often give me pause for many thoughts, and the song soars 11-6. Do check out this talented singer/songwriter’s FREE mixtape using the link on my chart page. October 18 is the North American street date for Penguin Prison’s self-titled album. As Chris Glover and band continue to play dates throughout North America, they are present on the chart with both “Multi-Millionaire” at #7 and “Fair Warning” rising to #14. To entice you more, Penguin Prison has a FREE download of “Don’t Fuck With My Money” available with an email subscription right here. You can hear that song above this paragraph. Then, our favourite “Bad Dog” is on the loose! Neon Hitch played a well received gig last week in New York City, and her song is propelled to #8. Adele’s enduring and powerful “Set Fire To The Rain” takes 9th place, while the heartfelt “Never Will Be Mine” by Rye Rye featuring Robyn lands at #10.
The middle of the chart is nothing less than busy. “Pull The Trigger” is the hottest song on Adam Tyler’s very good Shattered Ice release, with it’s sad-but-gotta-do-it lyrics married with an anthemic house rhythm. It’s also the hottest song on the chart as the Fastest Riser, moving 22-12 and you can listen to the song above. Then, we have the ultra-prolific Kyle Brylin with a real pick-me-up if there ever was one, “My Fizzy Pop” at #13. Not only did Kyle cover Rihanna’s “S&M” earlier this year, but perhaps he’s drinking the same water, since she’s coming out with new stuff as frequently. He teases you below with a preview of the hard hitting trance track “Never Love A DJ” and “Poison Venus” below this paragraph. Full comments about these songs later! And by no means should you think that “Stupid With You” by Eric Saade is done, after moving one place to #15. It’s a fantastic pop song, one of many on Saade Volume One as we await Saade Volume Two sometime in November!
At the top of this blog, you watched the new video for Darren Hayes’ Australian single “Bloodstained Heart”, which climbs to #17. I’m hoping it will be released to the rest of the world after “Black Out The Sun”. In particular, I enjoy Darren’s soothing high register and the dramatic crescendo halfway that serves as anticipation for the final scene of the video. Darren’s album Secret Codes And Battleships is released October 17 in the UK and October 21 in the rest of the world. Right below “Bloodstained Heart” we see the debut song from Florence & The Machine’s sophomore album Ceremonials. “What The Water Gave Me” moves up 26-18 in this chart edition.
The rest of the chart sees six debuts! It’s a huge week ahead for Frankmusik as his second album Do It In The A.M. sees release on September 27. The latest single, “No I.D.” featuring the delightful Colette Carr, arrives on the chart at #20 and is gradually becoming one of the must-hear songs of the year along with its “Grease”-y video above. 2011 has been one heck of a ride for Frankmusik and it hasn’t stopped yet! Next up is the beautiful song from Nick Hagelin that I cannot get enough of right now. “Metaphor” (which I blogged about last week) premieres at #23. Further down at #26 is a song that has hung on throughout the summer despite no North American release for the singer’s album. “The Way I See” doesn’t appear on Will Young’s latest album Echoes, but you can get it in a FREE download from a link in my chart (the song was previously available for free through Amazon UK). It’s Will’s first appearance in these pages, and I look forward to paying closer attention to the songs in Echoes.
An impressive video for “Famous” by Audio Playground featuring Kardinal Offishall quickly arrived on our doorstep (above) and debuts at #27 on the chart. The song’s a certified hit, conquering Canadian radio by being added to practically every pop station in the country, while the French language version featuring Randy Raymond is everywhere in Quebec. Then at #28 we have Ms Grace Jones, sounding like she never left the music scene with her first release in 22 years called Hurricane. From that album we have the sinewy and compelling “Williams Blood”, which is available in the FREE Aeroplane remix radio edit (link in on my chart page).
This edition closes at #29 with a song hot off the presses this week by a singer whose voice I adore. Agnes Carlsson had a massive year in 2008/09 with her European album release Dance! Love! Pop! which contained the UK Top 5 and Billboard Dance Club Play #1 hit “Release Me”, one of my Top 10 favourites of that year. With voice to rival no less than a Leona Lewis, Agnes is back with a tougher and equally powerful pop/dance song that will turn more heads around the world this time. Watch “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (not the Elton John song) above and keep your ears peeled for much, much more from Agnes throughout the year and into 2012.
Thanks for reading! Watch for changes to this blog coming soon too. One thing I hope to change after this week is to give you shorter and more timely blogs, as well as the longer bi-weekly recap of my chart.
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