I heard several instrumentals during the last week, and two are featured in this week’s report. Never underestimate the power of a good instrumental!! You won’t hear ’em on pop radio anymore.
Among the features in the Report, you can check out my pick of the week, along with one from the host of “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus Hunter Wilbur’s “Bop of the Week”. “The Musicman” James Rogers has his Classic Five pop hits feature, whose choices this week sample the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. And I’ll take you back to my BILLCS Top 30 from this week in 2015 – hard to believe it’s 8 years for these songs already!
The BILLCS New Music Report is a work-in-progress and I welcome your suggestions so feel free to contact me at through my social media links right here.
REMINDER: Click the photo above the artist’s name and song title to hear the song or watch the video.
SPOTLIGHTING
RYAN SHEPHERD, HEATHER JANSSEN, “Move It (Control My Mind)”
“Move It” is going to be one of this summer’s crowd-pleasing dance floor fillers. Once the song gets going it becomes irresistibly fun, and those who enjoy Fisher and Don Diablo will get into “Move It” quickly. The song teams up producer Ryan Shepherd, a regular visitor to this blog, with fellow Canadian, vocalist/songwriter Heather Janssen, whose previous collaboration “Who’s Gonna Love U” was a delight that reached #6 on my BILLCS Top 30 in 2019. Although it doesn’t slam as hard as other dance tracks, the rhythm is the key and “Move It” will help you keep your groove on.
ASTRO, “Runaway”
ASTRO is an electronic dance music collective who released their new album Los Angeles as an NFT earlier this year. It includes contributions from Reo Cragun, Tisoki, Pauline Herr, Mark Johns, Camoufly, and Lost Boy, with TWERL, Daniel Allan and helloworld all behind my featured track “Runaway”. It’s affecting, lyrical future bass-flavoured pop with a solid vocal by whoever is singing it, and ASTRO uses effects judiciously to foster the emotions in the song. Fans of Porter Robinson and Audien will particularly relish the vibe and get the most out of “Runaway”.
ALEX SAVANIN, KIRILL MALAHOV, BRANCHEY, “Strange”
“Strange” is a sophisticated-sounding slice of dance pop brought to you by Russian producer/songwriter Alex Savanin in collaboration with fellow producer and sound engineer Kirill Malahov, and Canadian singer/songwriter Branchey. The song is a co-write by Alex and Branchey, and although you may not have heard of any of these artists before, between them they have years of experience in the worldwide music business. The slick results are proof of this. Alex has written for film and TV and Branchey’s versatile and instantly appealing vocal transcends genres. “Strange” is classy and timeless, and a delightful surprise to add to your favourite pop/dance playlist.
FEATURING
AASH MEHTA, “The Prince”
When Chicago’s Aash Mehta isn’t writing complex and often romantic electronic pop, he can on occasion deliver a fun house bop, and when he does it’s a zinger, witness his 2021 release “Back To You” which got to #5 on the BILLCS Top 30. “The Prince” could easily have been quite the catchy affair just as an instrumental, as Aash uses a male voice to provide a melody without singing words over a swift house rhythm. But he aptly overlays the track with an uncredited soulful female vocalist singing a single line which is repeated, and becomes a second hook and focal point in the song that has lots of sync potential. With all of what’s going on inside, “The Prince” is toe-tapping ear candy that you’ll want to play again and again.
CID, TRUTH x LIES, “Caroline”
New York producers CID and duo Truth x Lies unite for the first time on the clever, rollicking house instrumental “Caroline”. Aside from its brisk pace, what sets “Caroline” apart from other tracks is the piano work, which is upfront and in your face, and as the groove develops you’ll find yourself completely immersed in the piano rhythm. Put it all together with its fast house beats, and you’ll know why house music started with emphasis on piano sounds back in the 80’s in its classic hooks and remixes. So “Caroline” is a fine, if perhaps indirect return to that sound, making it fresh and cool in a different way, in a collaboration that should be repeated.
CLOUDCHORD, “Shaka”
After many recordings of low-fi jazz/pop, Austin’s Cloudchord (aka masterful Emmy Award winning musician/producer Derek VanScoten) returns to dance music after a long absence for the instrumental “Shaka”. It’s actually more of a happy hybrid of both styles, leaning more in the dance vein because of its funky upfront bass playing. “Shaka” is light and refreshing, and will go down just fine on a hot summer day. It would also make superb theme music for a radio program or TV show.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs more than 25 times/week on online radio stations around the world.
It’s Gareth Emery with vocalist Maria Lynn in the Ben Gold remix of “Missing You”
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S PICK OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program and owner of online stations Radio GTA, Halton Hills Radio Online, & FM108.ca. You can hear my Retro Pick of the Week every week on the “Top 40 Timeline”!
“Never Ending Song” by Conan Gray has grown on our own Big Daddy a lot!
HUNTER J. WILBUR’S BOP OF THE WEEK
Hunter J. Wilbur is the host of the online radio shows “Modern Hype” and “Addictive Energy” which can be heard on several online stations including Classic Hits Canada.
Ed Sheeran teams up with red hot country singer Luke Combs for “Life Goes On”
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show heard Tuesdays on Planet Radio Canada. The Classic Five is “pop music 101” of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song.
Smith – Baby It’s You (1969)
49th Parallel – Twilight Woman (1969)
Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat (1977)
Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky (1982)
Moody Blues – I Know You’re Out There Somewhere (1988)
BILLCS Top 30 FLASHBACK CHART – 2015
My how time sometimes seems like it flies by! And Francesco Yates, Cobi, and James Bay all have songs on the current BILLCS Top 30!
06 01 I WANNA BE (FREE) Brandyn Burnette
03 02 NO WORDS Erik Hassle
01 03 CHASING STARS Corey Niles Featuring Alex Lacasse
04 04 AERONAUT Parralox
05 05 I’LL BE THERE Chic Featuring Nile Rodgers
08 06 CAN’T DENY MY LOVE Brandon Flowers
07 07 MARVIN GAYE Charlie Puth Featuring Meghan Trainor
12 08 SENSATION Antonio Giacca
19 09 SHINE Years & Years
14 10 GHOST TOWN Adam Lambert
11 11 WE ARE THE NIGHT Steve Grand
17 12 DEJA VU Giorgio Moroder Featuring Sia
15 13 HEY NOW Matt & Kim
20 14 BEAUTY NEVER LIES Bojana Stamenov
16 15 ROADS Lawson
18 16 WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT Smashing Satellites
02 17 NO TALK River Tiber
23 18 GUILTY AS SIN Dan Talevski
25 19 BETTER TO BE LOVED Francesco Yates
26 20 WALKING THROUGH THE FIRE Cobi
24 21 THIS SUMMER’S GONNA HURT LIKE A MOTHER FUCKER Maroon 5
09 22 FEVER Jully Black
10 23 HOLD BACK THE RIVER James Bay
New 24 EAST SIDE BAY Mi Disguise
13 25 STING Eric Saade
New 26 UMA THURMAN Fall Out Boy
21 27 DESIRE Years & Years
22 28 SEE YOU AGAIN Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth
New 29 GIRL FROM SWEDEN Eric Saade
27 30 CHAINS Nick Jonas
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