Monthly Archives: December 2015

#BILLCSTop30 #473 – December 28/15

It’s my last chart of 2015, and the chart has been flooded regularly with many fine songs which makes creating a year end Top 75 Songs list difficult, not so much for the top part of the list but the rest of it.

The Top 10

  • Adele’s “Hello” holds at the top for a fourth (and likely final) appearance as we are all moving on to listen to the deeper songs on her album 25.  Adele and her team have given the world a new template for how to create a mass appeal album, unfortunately you need loads of money to do it.  Those performers who get signed to a major label need to strive for their own variation of what “their” 25 might be regardless of genre or sub-genre.

  • 2016 looks very bright indeed for L.A.-based singer/songwriter Brandyn Burnette.  First, make sure you tune into American Idol on January 6 to see our Brandyn perform and compete!!  Second, from his rewarding Made Of Dreams EP, “Nothing At All” advances to #2 and the pensive “Lost (Stripped)” climbs to #5.  Third, the determination of “Down” debuts at #28, featuring a striking new video with animated flourishes that will keep you watching!  Three of Brandyn’s songs will appear in my year end Top 30 Songs too.

  • NY producers/DJ’s The Knocks are playing in my city at The Mod Club on January 22, and wouldn’t it be nice if Matthew Koma could make a cameo appearance to sing “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)” – pretty please??  The song holds at #3.

  • Mako’s “Smoke Filled Room” just soared up the Billboard Dance Mix Show Airplay chart 19-5 – I was beginning to wonder who else was championing this winning song!  Like only a handful of performers associated with EDM or dance music, L.A.-based duo Mako home in on the emotional part of songs, both lyrically, melodically and vocally.  “Smoke Filled Room” deserves to be a dance club smash as well, particularly in the Elephante remix 🙂  It rises 9-6.

  • Max Schneider and team are on the right path to many great things.  Not only does the title song from Ms Anonymous (featuring Jared Evan) zip into the Top 10 at #7, his stunning but rhythmically dirty title song from his new EP Wrong is the highest new entry at #22!  2016 promises to be a great year for all things MAX!

  • The Voice contestant Clinton Washington’s beautiful “Hearts Beat Loud” climbs into the Top 10 at #9.  To me it’s still a perfect companion song to Adele’s “Hello” when you’re in the mood for something touching and heart-warming.

  • The last new entry into the Top 10 is the long-lasting “Over” by Chicago’s Goldhouse at #10, which still has the potential to me to break into dance clubs and/or dance and/or pop radio too!

Movin’ on Up

  • It’s so perfectly timed that NYC duo Sofi Tukker have been added to the Toronto show by The Knocks at the Mod Club on January 22 that I will likely grab a ticket very soon!  The incredibly infectuous – even sung all in Portuguese – “Drinkee” is the fastest riser on the chart, climbing 20-12.

  • Dance-hit-in-waiting “The Shadows In The Moon” by classic dance voice Rozalla with DJs/producers House Of Virus advances 19-14 – dance club DJ’s should be all over this one for an immediate dance floor draw!

  • Another sure fire dance club hit, albeit currently available as a free download, is the gorgeous “Lost In Feelings” by Final DJS featuring none other than Bright Light Bright Light on vocals.  The song moves up 23-16 – do check it out!
  • Toronto’s River Tiber has given me two of my favourite songs of 2015 – “No Talk” and the #1 “Let You Go” (currently at #13) from the EP When The Time Is Right.  The great songs from that EP continue with “Waves” crashing into the Top 20 at #19.
  • Right behind is more Canadian talent moving up to #20, Kendal Thompson with “Secret”, a track from her fine EP One.  Call it enjoyable 90’s flavoured pop/R&B with influences from Rihanna and Beyoncé!!  Click right here to hear all of the songs on One!

And the Third Debut Belongs to…

  • Molly Moore!  After notching up a #14 appearance for “Natural Disaster” earlier in the year, the L.A. based singer/songwriter recently released a moody, captivating alt.pop EP called Shadow Of The Sun.  It features “Blood. Sweat. Tears”, which arrives on the chart at #25.  Watch the beautiful acoustic performance of the song below with her beau Brandyn Burnette – it’s so scary how talented these two are either separate or together!  

The Full Chart

Listen to the songs or watch the videos using the links on the pictures on the pretty and detailed web edition of my chart. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify!

Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify 🙂 BILLCS Top 30 Songs

Planet Radio Canada is back!  You can hear me online on http://www.planetradio.ca every Monday at 9:00 pm EST counting down a Toronto Top 10 chart from yesteryear!

MAX (@maxgschneider) keeps the rhythm dirty with “Wrong” (featuring @LilUziVert)

MAX featuring LIL UZI VERT, “Wrong” 

Hot on the heels of the diverse and extremely enjoyable Ms Anonymous EP (whose title song is at #11 on my personal chart) comes a follow up EP by the immensely talented MAX (aka Max Schneider) called Wrong.  It’s full of equally listenable and danceable songs which will sound great at a MAX concert and bring him new fans.  The title song has a wicked, dirty EDM rhythm that suits MAX to a T, with a rap by Lil Uzi Vert that fits the vibe of the song so well.  The video is quite a razzle dazzle affair too, with MAX officially joining the Justin Bieber and Nick Jonas shirtless crowd 😛  “Wrong” could be MAX’s strongest single yet so be sure to get it and the entire EP on iTunes.  I hope some remixes will follow because “Wrong” would tear it up in dance clubs too!

Meet Toronto’s @JulianTroiano with the soulful “Try”

juliantroiano

JULIAN TROIANO, “Try”

Canada has produced so much talent this year to the attention of the rest of the world that there is always room for others.  Toronto’s Julian Troiano is one that you should pay attention to.  Not only does he have great pedigree (being the nephew of the renown late guitarist Domenic Troiano) but there’s deep down soulfulness afoot if “Try” is any indication.  The gospel backdrop in the song along with Julian’s soaring voice makes try instantly memorable and is the kind of song that would quell a noisy room into complete silence.  I heard some of Julian’s music a couple of years back but that seemed like a false start.  Time to build on “Try” and let’s hear much more from Julian in 2016.  You’ll be very glad you downloaded “Try” for free below 🙂

https://soundcloud.com/benudoyou/try-julian-troiano

Australia’s @KelsyKarter tantalizes with “Crystal Blues” and “Kiss The Boys”

KELSY KARTER, “Crystal Blues”, “Kiss The Boys”

It’s very easy to say that Australian-raised, New Zealand-born multi-instrumentalist Kelsy Karter will instantly remind you of Amy Winehouse-meets-Lana Del Rey.  But it’s also obvious that there is a much deeper musical background at play here that brings out blues, jazz, and classic rock in both “Crystal Blues” and the title song from her EP Kiss The Boys, that a better reference point for me would be April Smith & The Great Picture Show’s 2011 release Songs from a Sinking Ship.  Like April Smith, Kelsy has a wide-ranging, expressive voice that can wield a big diss for an ex (hence the title song) or become all wrapped up in the memory of his eyes as in “Crystal Blues”.  Both songs have well-directed, entertaining videos that keep you watching.  Get to know Kelsy Karter more by picking up her EP on iTunes.

Let #MelanieDurmic raise the spirit of glorious love songs past with “I Follow You”

MELANIE DURMIĆ, “I Follow You”

It is not a bad thing when the arrangement of a song creates an immediate reference point to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey classics of 25 years ago.  It also happens to be a gorgeous song lyrically, but primarily stands out because of the no-holds-barred performance.  So here we have The Netherlands-based singer Melanie Durmić and her piano bringing back a style that isn’t heard on the radio, but is much loved everywhere with “I Follow You”.  Produced by award-winner Vladimir Graic and co-written by 2014 Eurovision-winning songwriter Charlie Mason (the song is also available as recorded in Serbian), “I Follow You” is a feel-good, mass-appeal song to enjoy and showcases a charming vocalist with a refreshing set of pipes who deserves to be heard internationally.  Watch the elegantly-set video above and follow Melanie on Facebook right here.

#BILLCSTop30 #472 – December 14/15

Two weeks sometimes goes by in a flash when life keeps you busy… and so we have a busy new chart as well!

The Top 10

  • So North America wasn’t being left out after all, as Adele announced tour dates, including 4 in my city Toronto – next October!  So it should come as no surprise that Adele’s “Hello” remains on top for a third appearance (that’s 6 weeks).  Have you got any money on who might succeed her at the top either in two or four weeks?

  • While Adele calls out from the other side for her former flame somewhere in California, DNCE party it up by the waves with “Cake By The Ocean” being one of 2015’s sheer delights for entertainment value alone, as it holds at #2 for Joe Jonas and company, from the EP Swaay.

  • Cali has it all wrapped up in spades with the Top 3 as it’s summertime in Los Angeles when Matthew Koma and The Knocks search for dream girl in “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)” (video up top), up a notch to #3.
  • Brandyn Burnette’s “Nothing At All” cruises 7-4 to give the chart some edgy, blues-rooted progressive soul for the mind and body 🙂

https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/nothing-at-all

  • “Black Water” by Lucien Dante lands at #5 just in time for the release of a cool, sometimes head-scratching animated lyric video that definitely helps you understand the song much more.  But it’s Lucien’s vocal that’s one-of-a-kind – alternately forlorn and sexy with bursts of joy and energy.

  • The Top 10 was cleaned out a bit with four new arrivals:
    • There’s no time in a day when the honest emotion of “Lost (Stripped)” by Brandyn Burnette doesn’t strike you.  No matter how you’re feeling or what you’re doing, the song will affect you differently, and that’s part of its beauty.  It soars 12-7.
  • https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/lost 
    • I still haven’t seen “Spectre”, but I continue to revel in the amazing vocal by Sam Smith in “Writing’s On The Wall”, which rises 11-8.
  •  
    • The wonder of the vocal and lyrics in Mako’s “Smoke Filled Room” always catch my attention, and in its Elephante remix the song climbs 13-9.
  •  
    • New Order acquires its first Top 10 song on my chart since 2005 with “Plastic” from the top notch Music Complete album jumping 14-10.

Movin’ On Up

  • MAX (Schneider) has another EP on deck this month called Wrong, available for pre-order on iTunes.  His pairing with rapper Jared Evan on “Ms Anonymous” climbs 15-11.

  • Clinton Washington’s soaring vocal on “Heart Beats Loud” leaps out of the speakers whenever it’s played, and moves up 19-13 for “The Voice” season 7 contestant.

  • Right behind is the would-be-bitter taste of revenge of “Over” by Goldhouse that’s set to a slamming dance rhythm.  It rises 20-14.

  • Get yourself high with “A Higher High” courtesy of pop singer Nathalie Archangel.  The Billboard Dance Club Play hit climbs 23-18.

  • The fastest riser on the chart is a song that I believe should be played everywhere and anywhere in dance clubs throughout the world.  “The Shadow Of The Moon” by Rozalla and House of Virus has great lyrics with an unbeatable hook, which is why it moves 29-19 🙂

  • Uh-oh… Matt and Kim are now on Snapchat, which can only mean many snippets of fun and mayhem, M&K style.  The frenetic 2:11 of “Make A Mess” climbs 28-21.

  • The gorgeous retro 90’s dance music rhythm and melody blessed with a Bright Light Bright Light vocal spells great things for “Lost In Feelings” by Final DJS, moving 30-23.

Premieres

  • It’s an insane mix of Portuguese lyrics (based on poetry!), an irrefutable guitar hook, and a slinky beat that will draw you on to the dance floor.  By all rights “Drinkee” by New York duo Sofi Tukker should be the talk of clubs, and I’m going to help out with that by premiering it at #20.

  • It wasn’t my most favourite song from River Tiber’s When The Time Is Right EP when it dropped this past Fall, but the hip hop/soul anchor of “Waves” and its graceful flow are completely compelling.  While former #1 “Let You Go” now sits at #6, “Waves” bows at #24 for the Toronto band.

  • Kendal Thompson appeared on this chart last year with the very catchy “Be Mine”.  The Toronto singer is back again at #26 with a soulful slice of pop that would be right up Rihanna’s alley called “Secret” from Kendal’s new EP One.  Give a listen right here.

The Full Chart

Listen to the songs or watch the videos using the links on the pictures on the pretty and detailed web edition of my chart. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify!

Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify 🙂 BILLCS Top 30 Songs

Planet Radio Canada is back!  You can hear me online on http://www.planetradio.ca every Monday at 10:00 pm EST counting down a Toronto Top 10 chart from yesteryear!

@missMollyMoore has star power with her debut EP “Shadow Of The Sun”

MOLLY MOORE, Shadow Of The Sun (EP)

Regular readers of this blog know how intrigued I am by the variety of songs that L.A.-based singer Molly Moore has brought to us in 2015.  “Natural Disaster” courted my ears for most of the year before its official release this past summer and an effervescent Win & Woo remix, which got it to #14 on my chart.  “Don’t Believe It” was darker and more geared towards alternative/college rock à la Banks.  Both of these fine songs are included in Shadow Of The Sun, produced by Molly’s guy Brandyn Burnette, as is lead off single “Peace Of My Heart”, which grapples with a variety of emotions and about which I wrote about recently (Molly’s self-directed video above).  “Come Fly” plays at a deliberate pace, with vivid imagery leading us to the destination.  The title song sounds like it could be a long epic but focuses instead on a pristine vocal.  But it’s “Blood. Sweat. Tears” (live acoustic clip below) which is the record’s defining song and show’s the singer’s versatile star power.  It’s unlike anything Molly has ever written.  Honesty, commitment, and emotion all try to lead the way at various times in this struggle of love.  Molly’s voice at times recalls Jessie Ware at her best, and at other times, the subtleties of Sarah McLachlan (also apparent to me on the title song).  Shadow Of The Sun is a compelling and powerful six song premiere into the talented world of Molly Moore.  Listen to the full EP below and pick it up on iTunes.

Watch the dance floors fill up with “Age Of Innocence” by @iamtheElephante featuring Trouze and @DamonSharpe

ELEPHANTE featuring TROUZE and DAMON SHARPE, “Age Of Innocence” (free download)

L.A.-based producer/DJ Elephante (aka Tim Wu) is on a real roll as of late with remixes of Mako’s “Smoke-Filled Room” and Nathan Sykes’ “Over And Over Again” leading the way.  This time he pairs up with fellow L.A. producers Trouze (a duo) and Damon Sharpe (you know him best from Jennifer Lopez’s “Love Don’t Cost A Thing”, among many others!!) to make a huge-sounding song with immense positive appeal, “Age Of Innocence”.  It’s songs like these that get us through our darkest personal or societal moments, and I suppose the best comparison might be to either Zedd’s “Clarity” or “Find You”, equally feel-good songs into which you can just lose yourself.  “Age Of Innocence” (also in a spiffy Hellberg remix below) is riveting progressive house that you’ll want to hear again and again.  Good thing that – it’s a free download at the above link!  Enjoy!!

Music for sunny days: “Dreamin'” by @iamEmbody featuring @CamdenCoxmusic

EMBODY featuring CAMDEN COX, “Dreamin'”

When I last wrote about Lithuania-born, London-based producer Embody, he was working great things with UK soul singer A*M*E.  A year later and he’s totally crushing it with tropical-themed deep house to help get a lot of us through the winter months with “Dreamin'”, featuring UK singer Camden Cox.  The combination is irresistible – a Caribbean-sounding trigger guaranteed to make you bounce while Camden’s playful vocal makes those flashes of dreamy beaches and palm trees almost in reach.  I don’t see “Dreamin'” in my iTunes store so hopefully it will be a matter of time.  So check out yours and enjoy this song above as it sneaks up on you!

@Jeronimomusic partners up with @Mlissamusic for “So Right”

JERONIMO DASILVA featuring M’LISSA, “So Right”

He’s got a rabid set of fans in his native Netherlands and Germany that eat up his live shows and buy his songs, which, since his 2012 album One Kiss, have been made available only as singles.  Now billed as Jeronimo DaSilva (to avoid confusion with a German singer), he is paired up with fellow Dutch singer 18 year old M’lissa for the ballad “So Right”.  She’s got the wicked range and elegance, and he’s got the earthy, gritty and sincere charm (as well as some new facial hair) to offset each other beautifully.  While the song is a great showcase for both, my only complaint is that M’lissa’s powerhouse voice sometimes overtakes Jeronimo’s when it should be running in parallel.  But all in all, after jumping from feel good novelties and singalongs to even a cover of Laura Branigan’s “Self-Control” earlier this year, “So Right” definitely places Jeronimo into a better direction that his fans will continue to enjoy.  Check your iTunes for this one (it’s not yet available in my country).