I don’t have a commentary for this week’s Report. Please note that I’m in need of a quick break from writing, so the Report will not publish on Wednesday, May 6 but will return on Wednesday, May 13.
In this edition of the Report, you can also check out my new music and retro picks of the week along with a record of the week from the host of online radio’s “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus “Modern Hype” online radio host DJ Hunter’s “Bop of the Week”. “The Musicman” James Rogers’ Classic Five mix is a variety pack from 1980. Please do check out the playlist for show #10 of my all-Canadian hour, The MAPL Tapes, featuring the music of Church of Trees. You’ll also find out what songs were in the Top 5 of the BILLCS Top 30 5-10-15-20-25 years ago!
Reminder: Click on the photos to listen to the songs on Spotify.
KIESZA, “When I’m Dancing”
About the artist: Kiesza is the Calgary-born dance artist who broke out back in 2013 with “Hideaway”, which went to #1 in the UK. Since then she’s written countless songs for a variety of superstars such as Rihanna, Duran Duran, Deadmau5, Diplo, Skrillex and Pitbull. Her recent series of EP’s called Dancing & Crying led to recent tours of the same name.
About the record: “When I’m Dancing” is a well-rounded dance anthem that aligns with the liberating Kiesza club experience that I saw last year. It draws from a lot of different inspirations, which might include Madonna and Katy Perry, but the result is blissfully and assuredly Kiesza. The song offers one of her best recent vocals, so all of the audience energy from her tours is finding its way into her music. This kind of song should by all rights be a dance radio smash, so radio programmers need to remember who brought us the 2024 #1 dance radio hit “I Go Dance”.
Other comments: SHHHH – Kiesza is the featured artist next week on show #11 of The MAPL Tapes!
MXTR, FEED THE FIRE, TYLER GARRETT, “Far from Home”
About the artists: UK producer MXTR and German producer Feed the Fire have both collaborated with American vocalist/songwriter Tyler Garrett on recent singles, and now the three join forces for “Far from Home”.
About the record: “Far from Home” continues the same intensity of “New Dimension” and “Crash” and offers more infectious drum ‘n bass rhythms to which Tyler’s songs and voice are well suited. It’s got an otherworldly vibe about it, as if it were about being lost in outer space and helpless in those surroundings. The synth hooks are quite pronounced and memorable, and the producers’ respective styles mesh well.
Other comments: “Far from Home” has promising sync potential, particularly for sci-fi, gaming or animé. It’s culled from the Liquicity Records compilation EP Nova.
ANT THOMAZ, “Believe”
About the artist: Ant Thomaz is a singer/songwriter based in Glasgow, Scotland, who has American roots. I wrote recently about his Louisiana-inspired and spirited track “Good times roll” at the following link: Good times
About the record: “Believe” is one of the core songs that forms Ant’s new album Gaia, which is inspired by parenting his same-named daughter, a child with disabilities. TOthe joyous nature of the song is based in the understanding that people with disabilities can thrive under the right circumstances, which negates any feelings of self-doubt when seen through a different lens, and dispels society’s belief that people with disabilities are limited. The song is upbeat, warm and touching, and reinforces that your individual beliefs are your superpowers.
Other comments: From the press release: “Thomaz and his wife … built a home centred around creativity, language and imagination. Gaia grew up learning Makaton [an augmentative and alternative communication system], British Sign Language, English and Gaelic, while music, storytelling and mindfulness became part of everyday life.”
DANNY BAYLEN, “Say you need me”
About the artist: Danny Baylen is a 21 year old pop singer/songwriter/guitarist from Langley, British Columbia who has been releasing music since 2024.
About the record: “Say you need me” is an ideal mix stylistically between young stars Sombr and Stephen Sanchez, both of whose music I enjoy immensely, as regular readers of this blog already know. Both artists could be called revivalists to a point, and Danny joins a group of male performers that also includes JVKE and Elliot James Reay. The song reminds me specifically of Sombr’s “We Never Dated” but what sets it apart, aside from Danny’s own lyrical style, is his impressive falsetto. Danny’s other songs don’t follow the same bent so the similarity to “We Never Dated” is a one-off. “Say you need me” grabs you immediately and makes you want to hear it again.
Other comments: With songs like “Say you need me”, Danny is definitely on the right path to making a unique sound for himself.
ELEPHANTS & STARS, “Take It All”
About the artist: Elephants & Stars is a five piece rock group led by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Manfred Sittman, which is following up their 2025 album Under the Earth and Above Heaven. They recently opened up for 80’s post new wave group Gene Loves Jezebel in a Toronto club show.
About the record: “Take It All” is guitar-laden garage rock, a style that never seems to go out of date, with endless possibilities of reinventing itself. The song benefits from production by Ron Hawkins, leader of 90’s Toronto mainstays Lowest of the Low, which has a fluid, live-off-the-floor quality. Like those from their most recent album, Elephants & Stars creates uncomplicated songs that lift you up and get direct to the point. “Take It All” is a tribute to the girls and women that guys grew up with from all walks of life, because there’s no changing the past and they will always be part of us.
Other comments: Coming soon is Elephants & Stars’ sixth album, Philistine Vulgarity.
BEA ELMY MARTIN, “Written on Me”
About the artist: Bea Elmy Martin is a London-born alternative pop singer/songwriter who has released one album to date and specializes in authentic stories with moody, hushed electronic backdrops.
About the record: Although the beginning is a bit too startlingly quiet for me generally speaking, “Written on Me” nonetheless compels you to listen and the result is rewarding. The song structure confounds you like a Jeff Buckley original but it unfolds like a gentler Portishead story that twists and turns before it grabs you. “Written on Me” is about falling in love and learning how someone else can become an inherent part of you. Bea has a lovely, soothing voice which basks in the alternately sparse and lush atmosphere she creates. Ultimately it’s not near as difficult a listen as might be anticipated and despite many sidesteps it all comes together.
Other comments: On deck is Bea’s second album, Under The Yew (Vol. 2).
MY LIFE AS A MOTH, “Starlet City”
About the artist: My Life as a Moth is a Sweden-born, London-based alternative pop artist who uses elements of punk, industrial and experimental rock in her songs which are shaped by pop sensibilities. She has just released her second album, The Parade of the Starlet & The Broken Hearted.
About the record: Confounding as it seems, influences from early 80’s new wave and mid-80’s industrial and electronic rock pervade the staccato, imaginative pop sounds of “Starlet City”, which is about finding the glitz and glamour amid the sleazy underbelly of a city, sort of what was inferred by parts of places like Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Manhattan of the not too long ago past. The singer’s vocal is stylistically reminiscent of Bjork, Kate Bush, and David Bowie. The song relies on repetition as a hook at times (think Front 242) but it’s interspersed with some creative production flourishes that soften it from being too jarring.
Other comments: The sound of My Life as a Moth is futuristic and mysterious in a musical landscape often filled with monotony, and you’ve just gotta like that.
sto•ried, “Boomerang Town”
About the artist: sto•ried is the new rock project for veteran Canadian vocalist, musician, producer and music school owner Shawn Wludyka.
About the record: “Boomerang Town” has instant retro appeal, with its jangly post-new wave guitar work and vocals. To my ears, the song draws inspiration from the likes of Tom Petty and Blue Rodeo, an appealing mix of rock, folk and country, with a catchy chorus which recalls The Everly Brothers and other classics of their era. The production is pretty uncomplicated – vocals, guitars and drums – proving that sometimes less is indeed more. The lyrics are relatable to anyone who may have grown up in a small town and has moved on to greener pastures. It could fit well on any folk-rock or country-rock playlist.
Other comments: “Boomerang Town” is the lead track from sto•ried’s debut album Truth and Tales.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs on several online radio stations around the world, and now debuts each Wednesday at 10pm EST on The Big 20 on Halton Hills Radio Online.
It’s the stirring, multilingual “Embrasse-moi (Mara Beboos)” by Dallas-based producer MashBit and Toronto area singer/songwriter Navan
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S RECORD OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program, owner and program director of online station Halton Hills Radio Online. and produceer of my show “The Big 20”.
Grammy winner Everlast is back with “Stones” from his new album Embers to Ashes
BILL’S RETRO PICK OF THE WEEK
My Retro Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs on several online radio stations around the world on Russ Horton’s “Top 40 Timeline” as well as on The Musicman James Rogers’ “The 3D Variety Show”.
This week’s Top 40 Timeline was a repeat, so my retro pick will return
DJ HUNTER’S BOP OF THE WEEK
DJ Hunter is the host of the online radio show “Modern Hype”, which can be heard on several online stations, and has now moved to Chicago-based Lake Radio Online where you can also hear my NewMusic Pick of the Week. Hunter is also on air Fridays on “Hot Hits with Hunter” on UK station Dodge Radio, and it too broadcasts the New Music Pick. Check the schedule for my New Music Pick of the Week on the blog home page near the bottom.`
It’s the Top 10 dance radio hit “Strangers” by TWOPILOTS, James Hersey & ANTUNIS
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show (6 – 9pm EST Tuesdays). The Classic Five is “pop music 101” usually of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song.
ZZ Top – I Thank You
Max Webster – Paradise Skies (live)
The Clash – Train In Vain (Stand My Me)
Pretenders – Brass In Pocket (I’m Special)
Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
The featured performer in Show #10 is Ottawa alternative synth-rock band Church of Trees!
THE BILLCS TOP 30 – 5-10-15-20-25…
The Top 5 songs from the BILLCS Top 30 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years ago…
2021
01 NO MORE LOOKING BACK, Idris Elba, Inner City, Steffanie Christi’an
02 NOT WATCHING ANYMORE, Mahalo
03 LOOK AT THE SKY, Porter Robinson
04 ESCAPE, Jay Bird, Chrxstal Sarah
05 STORIES, Victor Perry, Cal1, L’Essay
2016
01 CARE FOR ME, Dzeko & Torres, Hellberg
02 LOST (Young Bombs remix), Connor Phillips
03 FAST CAR, Jonas Blue, Dakota
04 FADED, Alan Walker
05 BEAT THE SUNRISE (Steve Void remix), SNBRN, Andrew Watt
2011
01 POPULAR, Eric Saade
02 HURT YOU AGAIN, Frankmusik
03 LOVE 2 BABY, Christian TV
04 SOMEONE LIKE YOU, Adele
05 I WON’T LET YOU GO, Adam Tyler
2006
01 TURN ON THE MUSIC, Roger Sanchez, GTO
02 WATCHIN’, Freemasons, Amanda Wilson
03 PERFECT LOVE, Offer Nissim, Maya
04 MISSING YOU, Tyler Hilton
05 FEEL THE VIBE (TIL THE MORNING COMES), Axwell
2001
01 FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK, American Hi-Fi
02 DREAM ON, Depeche Mode
03 HANGING BY A MOMENT, Lifehouse
04 LET IT HAPPEN, Waterboys
05 FURTHER AGAIN, Staggered Crossing
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 
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