March 2012 – BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

BILLCS Chart #375 and Canadian Music Week Update

My new personal chart is taking a backseat to my Canadian Music Week update. Despite lots and lots and lots of walking as well as shifting my regular body clock a few times to accommodate some shows, I was really glad I decided to purchase a Canadian Music Week wristband this year. I had been to shows during CMW in the past but I really had the urge to get out and see some shows, since my winter months were pretty concert-deprived.

As much as I love the dance music that takes regular residence on my chart, getting away from autotune and seeing mainly raw live performances was well worth it. I got to meet a lot of great people which shows me that the people making music out there are still the ones I enjoy most. There are many talented people behind the scenes, but too much of a requisite amount of a-holes. I used to find that with performers, too, but not in recent years.

So here are my highlights – if you follow me on Twitter, you pretty much realized that I needed to be cloned 😉

THE TEMPER TRAP: The Aussie quintet is back with its self-titled follow up to Conditions due this Spring. The group provided an entertaining mix of savvy pop, rock and dance music, capped with its big hit “Sweet Disposition”. The new songs sound very gripping and I can’t wait to hear them. Dougy Mandagi is an engaging front man. Check out the video for new single “Need Your Love” below.

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT: It was way too long since I last saw Martha open up for her brother Rufus in one of his shows about 7 or 8 years ago. I saw an in-store 20 minute acoustic set, and she was very inspiring and in fantastic voice. Another upcoming album that will be well worth the wait.

AERIALS UP: The first of my pop collectives, as I blogged about last week, the 7 piece Scottish unit led by Alan Kemlo offered up one of the very best shows I saw with a perfect balance of instrumentation. The band was totally wrapped up and in the moment on stage, and the songs from their upcoming album due in April sounded fabulous. Despite an effort to see them a second time that was screwed up from wrong information I received from the venue, I will look forward when Aerials Up return to Toronto. I think they made a whole lot of fans here.

GENTLEMEN HALL: Despite mediocre and sometimes distorted sound, the 6 piece Boston rock band led by Gavin Merlot and Cobi Mike who were my second pop collective stirred up a tempest on stage. With synthesizers prominently in the mix, the band did not hesitate to add heavy guitars or some lovely melodies for a diverse set. I got new appreciation for their song “Gravity Will Break Our Bones”.

IN MY COMA: Though I didn’t get to see their CMW show, I did catch a set by the three piece Toronto band led by Jasper James that I wrote about recently a few days before CMW. The band is tight with a rich contemporary take on post-grunge rock that is presented in their finely crafted CD package Magnets And Miracles.

BIG SCARY: Big Scary is a duo from Australia comprising Tom Iansek and Jo Syme. Lest you think that a the market for a two piece band with a female drummer comprised The (now defunct) White Stripes and Matt & Kim, we’ll you’re wrong. Big Scary indeed does have a big rock sound (guitar/keyboards/drums) that takes inspiration from post 80’s new wave. There seems to be lots of room for anything in their mix so I’ll look forward to hearing songs from their recent album Vacation.

THE SLAKADELIQS: I’ve written about this Toronto outfit led by Slakah the Beatchild twice now, and was fortunate to catch their premiere public show. Despite being sabotaged by poor sound, the band invited guest vocalists up on stage, to give their show a real community vibe. This in turn was enhanced with their guitar players alternating with some fantastic dual cello work! Best of all at the end came Justin Nozuka, who lifted the set into an entirely different game with his vocals for “Keep Breathing” and “Love Controls The Sun”.

RIVER TIBER: It was very cool for me to actually meet Tommy Paxton-Beesley at The Slakadeliqs show, before I saw his band play their own set in a well-attended graveyard shift (3:00 a.m.) the next night. River Tiber delivered the goods in performance especially on “Someday”, “These Are Centuries”, and a well-chosen rendition of The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun”. As I wrote a few weeks back, River Tiber’s From Now On is one of the few Must Hear records of 2012 thus far.

With that having been said, let’s move into chart mode 🙂

I could not leave Eric Saade stranded at #2 with “Backseat” after 10 weeks. The last song I remember in a similar situation was “Crush (1980 Me)” by Darren Hayes, which got one appearance at #1 in 2002, but became one of my 10 favourite songs of the last decade! I love the rock flavour and sexual undertones in “Backseat”. If you haven’t heard it yet, listen below. His other song on the rise on the chart, “Fingerprints”, slides up to #3 too.

Then back we go to Tommy Paxton-Beesley and River Tiber. “Someday” is currently taking over my iTouch and it climbs 11-2 to challenge for #1 in two weeks. Not only that, but another River Tiber song “Symmetry” will grab you when you’re not looking. It debuts at #12.

The rest of the Top 10 shapes up with single point gains with songs by Graffiti6, JMSN, and Joe Jonas. M83 enters at #10 with “Midnight City”, but it’s The Wanted that unexpectedly storm the Top 10 with “Glad You Came” at #9. Oh, and boy bands are NOT back. They never went away.

As the release of his Promising Promises album arrives in May, the stirring duo of Jon McLaughlin with Sara Bareilles on “Summer Is Over” inches towards the Top 10 at #11. On a different bent, Colin Munroe’s inspiring “The Fight Of My Life” draws me in listen after listen and moves up to #13. Last week’s other debuts all fare well. The Knocks’ take on “Midnight City” rises to #19; “Could It Be Magic” is transformed by Elouise and climbs to #20; “Happiness” by the ever-talented Sam Sparro jumps to #22 (video is below); Kaya and Pierre Lewis take “When I Was Blind” to #23; and “Call It What You Want” is at #24 for Foster The People.

It’s been almost 5 years since Tyler Hilton appeared in my chart with “You’ll Ask For Me”, but in the interim he’s been busy performing both on stage and on camera in film and on TV (“One Tree Hill”). It’s hard to believe that Forget The Storm will only be his sophomore full album release, his first being 2004’s The Tracks Of Tyler Hilton. But if the pensive and laid back “Prince Of Nothing Charming” (debuting at #26 – his 7th entry on my chart though!) proves anything it’s that Tyler Hilton is on his way to continuing to please his many fans and expand worldwide. Watch for the release of Forget The Storm on April 3.

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.

The Return of Pop Collectives: Aerials Up and Gentlemen Hall

Music festivals always bring out a variety of performers. Two that I’m looking forward to seeing at Canadian Music Week are multi-member pop collectives.

Alan (Kemy) Kemlo leads Scotland’s Aerials Up, a 7 member band that features the classic pop/rock band instrumentation, which is in turn augmented by violin and cello. Their hit-bound pop/rock arrangements then make my ears perk up as the additional instruments round out the sound and give it alternately playful, folky, and classy tones. The group is in the process of putting final touches on a full album, and have opened for the likes of fellow countryfolk Snow Patrol and Paolo Nutini.

Aerials Up has already released the downright infectious crowd-pleaser “I Am” and a 3 song EP called Superglue, whose title song grabs you with its classical start up but takes you to rockland with some highly complimentary harmonizing. These days you do indeed need superglue to keep pop collectives together, but from what I hear, Aerials Up is one tight unit and I look forward to listening to much more from them. Listen to “I Am” and “Superglue” below and buy them on iTunes.

Aerials Up performs twice during Canadian Music Week, first on Thursday March 22 at 11:00 pm at the Drake Underground (sold out to the general public already), and then on Saturday March 24 in the international music showcase at the Global Village Backpackers, Departure Lounge (doors are at 7:30 pm).

“I Am”

“Superglue”

It’s a bit hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since Boston’s Gentlemen Hall came into the mass public’s eye on the Billboard Music Awards, after which I blogged about their engaging song “How Long Have They Been Watching?”. A six piece band, the emphasis here is on captivating lead vocals carried by vintage 80’s synth sounds and other instrumentation such as flute and piccolo. Since that time there has been much, much touring and a six song EP called When We All Disappear, which you can get for free from the band’s Facebook page with an email subscription.

The EP has some lush sounding production, but it was the band’s strong showcase on that awards show plus some of their performance videos that sold me, so I’m looking forward to seeing Gavin, Cobi, and bandmates now that they’re in my city. Listen to “Gravity Will Break Our Bones” and “Take Me Under” below.

Gentlemen Hall perform during Canadian Music Week tonight at midnight at Lee’s Palace, and then again on Saturday March 24 at midnight at Sneaky Dee’s.

“Gravity Will Break Our Bones”

“Take Me Under”

Buh-Bye Winter Blahs with new music from In My Coma, Keane, Alex York, Baiyu, Low Level Flight, and Andy Grammer

The sounds of the post-grunge mid-90s appear to be getting a second lease on life, if music from In My Coma’s new album Magnets & Miracles is any indication. The tight and melodic three piece band out of Toronto, consisting of powerful lead vocalist and guitarist Jasper James, bassist/vocalist Laura Doll, and drummer Mike Paterson, brings that sound up to date, fuses it with other 80s and 90s influences ranging from The Smiths to Tool, and marries it all with interesting and original lyrics. Best songs within are the radio-worthy “Believe Me” (check out the imaginative video below), the R.E.M. meets I Mother Earth stylings of “Losing Sleep”, “Hit Them Down Kid”, and “Lined Up Locked Away”.

With other noteworthy supporters like new music guru Alan Cross touting their talents, it’s no wonder that In My Coma has the professionalism to get themselves gigs in Toronto no less than three times this week. It’s refreshing to hear some rocking domestic ear candy like In My Coma. Get Magnets & Miracles on iTunes and listen to it below streaming on Soundcloud. Check out In My Coma on Sunday March 18 at The Rivoli, Wednesday March 21 at The Ballroom as part of Independent Music Night 2012, and Thursday March 22 at The Painted Lady as part of Canadian Music Week.

Keane “Silenced By The Night”

After three terrific albums, I felt that British quartet Keane had a bit of a boring sidestep two years ago with the EP Night Train, which stylistically seemed all over the map. They’ve returned to true pop form on “Silenced By The Night”, which is from the upcoming Strangeland album due in May. It’s classic Keane, right on par with the songs from their first two records, with a beautiful melody and compelling lyrics. The band is as tight and tidy as ever with an especially strong return-to-form for singer Tom Chaplin. Look for this and hopefully other songs from Strangeland to help dominate your playlist for the rest of the year.

Alex York, “Tokyo Heartbreak” and “Change”

New York singer Alex York has done something just a little out of the ordinary – he’s found an audience in the Japanese language pop market. He’s released his debut independent album Tokyo Heartbreak along with the infectious singalong title pop song for the English language crowd. But with donations going to the Japan disaster relief fund, he’s also released a digital single and video for “Change”, which is primarily sung in Japanese. Alex is obviously a diverse talent and crowd pleaser who has already acquired a significant online following. Check out “Tokyo Heartbreak” and “Change” below, and purchase the songs and the album on iTunes.

Baiyu, “Take A Number”

Baiyu is another singer from New York who is also involved in Japan’s disaster relief by donating all of the proceeds from her EP Fan Fair to that fund. I introduced you to this burgeoning talent last August with her feel-good video for “Together”, and then again in November as a featured singer on Tana’s “Live In The Past”. Her latest video for “Take A Number” is full of eye-catching appeal that puts Baiyu on the bubble with her Beyoncé-meets-Keri Hilson influences with a twist. Download Fan Fair right here (it’s a torrent) and watch the video for “Take A Number” below.

Low Level Flight, “Brooklyn Radio”

After debuting with their edgy rock album Urgency in 2008 and a compelling presence in concert, Kingston’s Low Level Flight returns with sophomore effort Through These Walls and the single “Brooklyn Radio”. The song finds season one Canadian Idol winner Ryan Malcolm and band in pensive form with a softer guitar-led song and a video with an interesting storyline. Low Level Flight creates their brand of pop/rock seamlessly which puts them comfortably alongside fellow Canadians Hedley (featuring fellow Canadian Idol alumnus Jacob Hoggard – who finished third in season two) and Marianas Trench.

Andy Grammer, “We Found Love”

With cheery, upbeat singles finding fans such as “Keep Your Head Up” and “Fine By Me”, Andy Grammer has decided to channel his stage presence into audio form with the release of his EP Live From L.A. With all of the viral videos covering songs like Rihanna’s “We Found Love”, it’s admirable for Andy to tackle it and still be able to give his own feel to the song, which translates absolutely beautifully through the clip below. Andy’s been touring actively with the likes of Ryan Star so you might find him on your town’s doorstep sometime soon.

Must Hear: River Tiber’s From Now On

Through various recent posts, I’ve been introducing you to River Tiber, a new band out of Toronto led by 21 year old multi-instrumentalist Tommy Paxton-Beesley. I just adore the rocking “Someday”, which ranks #11 on my personal chart. River Tiber’s debut album From Now On is a layered affair awash in many influences.

I’ve already alluded to Jeff Buckley-esque sounds on “Someday”. Whether it’s intentional or not, they pervade the album for me. I grew into Jeff’s classic Grace album in the same way that From Now On has got under my skin. Irrespective of similar talents, I suppose the comparison for me is the emotion inside the music. Tommy is so in-the-moment in songs like “Symmetry” (the refrain gives me shivers!), “Everything That Happened”, and “These Are Centuries” that it’s hard not to be captivated. There are bursts of rock ‘n roll and outstanding patches of silence which given the album its poignancy. In “February”, you can feel literally feel the snow, and in “On and On” you stick with the coda till the very end just like “A Day In The Life” by The Beatles. Just when you get comfortable with the laid back feel of the record, it nudges you and gets inside your head.

I can pinpoint other comparisons, and I really don’t know if they are valid. But I hear U2, Coldplay, Nick Drake, French/Quebec folk (perhaps along the same lines of someone like Rufus Wainwright), along with classical and jazz influences. From Now On is a self-made effort that deserves attention of the music industry. Tommy has just released a free download of an EP called Massachusetts – download it right here – which is more acoustic, and I hope to have comments on in the near future. For now, my ears are all on From Now On and its dreamy, thoughtful, and well-played landscapes. Get it on iTunes. There is also an EP of remixes from the album that you can get for free right here.

River Tiber plays the Supermarket in Toronto for a free show tonight, doors at 9:30 p.m. The band also has a 3:00 a.m. show (yes, you read that right) at Rancho Relaxo on Saturday, March 24 during Canadian Music Week.

To whet your appetite, once again here are the videos for “Someday” and “Symmetry” 🙂

“Someday”

“Symmetry”

BILLCS Top 30 #374 – March 12/12

As the top 5 songs on my chart remain exactly the same (that’s 4 appearances – 8 weeks – at #1 for “Memorize Me” by Rune RK & Databoy, plus 5 appearances at #2 for Eric Saade’s “Backseat” – and both songs are still red hot!), the rest of the chart gets a shake-up with 6 additions. I’ve chatted about all of these songs before except the highest debut.

While the regular big hits from TV’s “Glee” now seem to have stopped, that doesn’t prevent the show from helping the original versions of some of the songs they are performing to become huge hits in North America. How many of you knew “We Are Young” by fun. featuring Janelle Monae before you saw the “Glee” performance”? It’s currently #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And not too far behind it is “Glad You Came” by The Wanted. There’s nothing complex about this one – a simple unadulterated catchy fun song that deserves to be a hit. It bows at #22 on my chart, yes a little belatedly, but nothing stops a good song.

In a bit of a chart first from these last 14 years, I’m charting the same song by two different performers. “Midnight City” by M83 in its original version slides up comfortably to #12, but the version I premiered a few weeks back by The Knocks featuring Mandy Lee has its own vibe and merits and debuts at #23. Plus – it’s a free download 🙂

The next two debuts don’t have official videos and both hail from the UK. I do say it’s time for a revival of the Barry Manilow/Take That hit “Could It Be Magic”, this time as performed by captivating chanteuse Elouise. Read my last blog post about her album Little Belter – the song debuts at #27. It’s her 6th entry in my chart world – 2010’s “Pretender” even got as high as #2. Then we have a chart premiere for young American singer Kaya with “When I Was Blind”, which has a preview on You Tube but is also available on iTunes in its original ballad form. It features talented UK singer Pierre Lewis in a truly harmonious vocal pairing. Pierre got to #2 in 2009 on my chart with “Broken” and has come close again with some other recent songs. But “When I Was Blind” is a beautiful, classic ballad with loads of potential. You can get the Florian Maier dance mix for free right here. The song arrives at #28.

A video is forthcoming for Sam Sparro’s “Happiness”, from his upcoming Return To Paradise album, which premieres at #29. Sam has just been back to his native Australia and is now poised to offer up lots of “Happiness” to the rest of the pop world 🙂 The last debut has been kicking around in my head, well at least since last November when I wrote about it. I think I’ve still been a bit attached to “Pumped Up Kicks”, and while “Helena Beat” was promoted as the follow up I think the true successor is still “Call It What You Want” and its imaginative video. It steps onto the chart at #30.

There’s still some impressive movement happening on the rest of the chart. I like the sound of Graffiti 6 at #6, as “Free” continues its ascent. Joe Jonas still has a two-fer in my Top 10 with “Make You Mine” hanging at #3, and “Not Right Now” now moving up 10-7. JMSN’s “Something” climbs 14-8 as the singer prepares some more thought-provoking videos for our entertainment. “Fallout” by Marianas Trench becomes their fifth top tenner at #9, and “Better Than I Know Myself” lands at #10 for Adam Lambert – very interested in hearing the other songs from his upcoming album Trespassing. Last week’s new ones all made some fine gains this week. Ryan Star’s “Stay Awhile” rises 25-18, while “The Fight Of My Life” by Colin Munroe featuring Pusha-T jumps 27-19. Liquid Diet, who performed their first live show last night in New York City, slide up 29-24.

However, it’s “Someday” by River Tiber that you must keep your eyes and ears on. A huge 26-11 jump smells of a #1 contender once the current dance music up top takes a break. I’ll have lots more to say about Tommy Paxton-Beesley and his band in the coming week as River Tiber performs a couple of shows in my city. I’ve been listening steadily to River Tiber’s From Now On album and the new EP Massachusetts, and have plenty to talk about once I collect my thoughts. In the meantime, here’s that video for “Someday” again…

Showstopper: Elouise’s Little Belter album, Plus New Songs from UK’s Bim and Pob (ex-Boy Banned)

It’s not yet available outside of the UK, but I’m bringing you spectacular tidings: The Little Belter album by our darling of delightful drama and dance Elouise is a showstopper that is not to be missed. For one, it includes the entire 2009 EP Stardust (“Another Day”, my still-fave “Pretender”, and the campy “Fireman of My Dreams”); for two: The retooled rendition of “Tainted Love” (released as a digital single); for three: Another favourite, her cover of ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” from the Stardust Memories EP; and for four: Enchanting, well chosen renditions of some classics and some that have passed both you and me by…

So I’ll focus on the 9 songs new to Little Belter, a generous selection that makes the inclusion of the other songs all the more wonderful. There are three showy show tunes for Elouise, “As Long As He Needs Me”, a standard from “Oliver!”, the always ear-catching “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Barbra Streisand’s “Funny Girl”, and the more obscure but beautifully rendered Noel Coward song “If Love Were All” (listen to it below). Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” gets a pleasing makeover, while “I Like to Hate Myself In The Morning” does both Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey proud. The Cilla Black UK hit “Something Tells Me” gets an almost behind-the-scenes storybook-like fun reworking, while Elouise puts her own commanding spin on Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”.

Elouise and her wonderful team including musical director Steve Anderson and show producer Terry Ronald don’t leave more contemporary music aside either. Paul McCartney’s James Bond theme “Live And Let Die” retains the drama but becomes empowering with a big band turn. And “Could It Be Magic” (I previously blogged about the Le Kid dance remix, also included here) is a faithful and timely cover that ties in all of the Barry Manilow, Donna Summer, and Take That versions together!!

As if her previous releases didn’t scream it out loud enough, Little Belter is Elouise’s international calling card. Her shows are currently selling out all over England and the rest of the world is waiting to be slayed. I’ll let you know as soon as I know that Little Belter is available outside of the UK. Even if you’re not particularly attached to any of these songs as you know them, I will guarantee that in the hands of Elouise and her team there is no disappointment. If you’re in the UK do try and catch her live show at http://www.littlebeltershow.com.

Listen to “If Love Were All” by Elouise below.

Bim “Scream”

Also coming to you, in early April, is the official single release of “Scream”, by UK indie duo Bim, who captured many hearts and minds with their 2010 effort Scatterheart, which yielded one of my favourite singles that year with the heartwrenching “Head Over Heels”. Rebecca Rosier and Denmark Davis are definitely out to best themselves because “Scream” is one of the most touching and ear-catching new releases of 2012. Vocally, it is a little more aggressive than past releases, and I particularly enjoy how Denmark’s voice jumps front and centre past the minute mark to match Rebecca’s power immediately preceding. Watch the video for “Scream” below and listen to acoustic and remix versions too.

Pob “Shout It Out Loud”

It hasn’t been too long since we bid adieu to UK’s Boy Banned via their gorgeous swan song “The Stars Are Saying Yes”, and I’ve certainly noticed that band members Ethan and Pob (aka Paul O’Brien) have both struck out on their own immediately. Pob seems to be the first one out of the gate with songs hinting at a diverse new direction with the help of some great songwriters. “Shout It Out Loud” is contemporary and memorable and with wishful assistance of some remixers could find its way discretely into clubland. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to hear where Pob plans to head music-wise, but this is a pleasing surprise that’s a bit of a grower. Pob’s started to showcase his music in concert too – a debut London date is scheduled for March 30. Listen to “Shout It Out Loud” – which has nothing to do with a certain hit by KISS 😉 – below.