Category Archives: Music

Tuned-On! Top 30 #344 – January 17/11 and more

These two weeks between personal charts go fast, and since the start of the year a lot of new music’s surfaced that I’ve been wanting to write about.  So let’s call this one a catch up blog (no, not Las Ketchup thanks, but nice try) 😉

  • Penguin Prison and Frankmusik once again rule the chart.  Mr. Glover is current on tour in the U.S. and I can’t wait till he comes back to my town.  “Golden Train” just chugs along at #1 for a third time – and with great retro velocity as remixed with Michael Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night”.  Can’t wait for the debut album!
  • Then Mr. Frank releases a free EP Long Live Frankmusik which you can get right here.  Just to show why “The Fear Inside” is sweating it out at the top at #2, Long Live Frankmusik contains some of his best vocals today.  The ballads “Hurt You Again” and “Warrior” are beautifully touching, splendidly written.  “Our Discovery” is a timely tribute to Daft Punk – and then you realize it’s been 10 years since “One More Time” and 25 year olds were teens back then (and to me it would be nuretro).  “Hate Your Love” is more pop dance that isn’t quite as successful but all in all this is a brilliant taste of what’s to come for Frankmusik in 2011.
  • Andrea Lewis also gave us a preview of her talent in her intimate club show in Toronto on January 13.  Looking like a movie star who just stepped out of the screen, she performed five songs from her free for download release 54321:  “She”, “Linda”, “Teardrops”, “Voodoo”, and a dynamite slowed down version of “Robot” (minus the autotune too).  The latter song makes its debut on the chart at #25, and while she didn’t perform “Talk To Me”, the duet with Simon Curtis, the song still rises to #4.
  • Elsewhere within the Top 10, Rihanna’s “S&M” moves into the Top 5, followed by Kanye West’s “Monster” (yes My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is very impressive), Elouise’s “The Winner Takes It All”, and, new to the Top 10, “Falling” by Bright Light Bright Light, in anticipation of the album Make Me Believe In Hope.
  • Javi’s latest project Native Underground rises to #11 with “Till It Hurts”, and while that’s on the go, the singer’s other project Chasing the Ghost is recording something new too!  Looking forward to it.
  • All of the debuts from two weeks ago make healthy moves, them being Adele’s theatrical “Rolling In The Deep”, Duran Duran’s 2011 meets 1986 “All You Need Is Now”, and Matt & Kim’s singalong “Ice Melts”.

Aside from the debut of “Robot” by the classy Miss Lewis, we have five other debuts.

  • Way up at #13 is one of the first and most stunning debuts of 2011. Rochella Danishei, formerly of trio Candy Coated Chaos, released her debut free album download End Of The Rainbow on New Year’s Day, and she did it with great company courtesy of producer Jadion and of course best bud Simon Curtis.  The album is a tight, aggressive different kind of pop record.  It may have a difficult time getting noticed what with Britney Spears dominating pop news and Lady GaGa’s next release on the way.  But really this record has a lot to offer in the form of songs like “Never Been Kissed”, “Unlove Pill”, the title track, and “Baby Doll” – identifiable lyrics sung with a lot of power by Ro with production that makes them crunch.  Best of all is a positively massive song, “Michelle”, in which a friend-turned-bitch is called out and how.  Icing on the cake turns the song into a duet with album cover mystery man Simon Curtis making the song even more of a treat.  It debuts this week at #13.
  • Next up is UK new pop/soul sensation Jamie Woon.  I had been meaning to check out his songs when blogger xolondon floated an amazing tweet about him and wrote this blog.  Young Mr. Woon has one of those persuasive blue-eyed soul voices for which I am an absolute sucker.  But the songs have to be good too, and his debut single from the upcoming album Mirrorwriting is “Night Air”, which has one of the most seductive-in-many-ways videos I’ve seen in a while.  Fans of the Twilight series will dig this video too. Watch it at the bottom of this blog.  Destined for the top, it debuts at #18.
  • First single’s a fluke I thought.  But there’s more to Far East Movement than meets the eye, as collaborators like One Republic’s Ryan Tedder might gather.  Mr. Tedder teamed up with the quartet for the second single from Free Wired called “Rocketeer”, and it’s one of the most uplifting songs on radio right now.  It bows at #26.
  • Roz Bell is one prolific and talented songwriter, and the Toronto-based singer unleashed his latest cadre of thoughts in the form of “The Gran Cavallo Mixtape”, which is available for free download right here.  My favourite of the lot is the pretty and straight-forward “Forever, I Do”, which arrives on the chart as his collabo with 100 Akres “Breakup Anthem” is about to depart.  Also of note from “Gran Cavallo” are “2000 Years”, “Brooklyn, Save My Life”, and “Sarah’s Song”.  If you haven’t already got to know Roz through his albums October and particularly 2008’s The First Sunbeams, then be sure to get acquainted with him through “Gran Cavallo”.
  • While it may seem redundant to say so, Usher Raymond is back and in fine form on his latest single “More”, which does not appear on any edition of Raymond v. Raymond that I’m aware of.  It’s a great percolating dance track, continuing in the vein of “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”.  “More” is Usher’s first chart appearance here in 6 years, the last being “Caught Up”.  I’m still very burned out on “Yeah”, which pop radio has killed into near oblivion.  But “More” is skilful, soulful R&B/dance that should do equally well as “DJ” and “OMG”.

You can view the full chart right here or using the link to the right under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART***.  Please post any comments you might have, I enjoy the opportunity to reply and chat!

All this, folks, plus new songs by the likes of Adam Tyler, Christian TV, and more, coming soon…

Tuned-On! Top 30 #343 – Jan 3/11

And so, we move on to the music of 2011. Leading the new chart are two performers that I expect will breakout of their loyal online followings to become much more popular this year.

Penguin Prison’s “Golden Train” is worthy of a disco ball trophy in the 70’s in its Royal Palms remix and continues its stay at the top of my chart. As a teaser, in case you wonder what Chris Glover can’t do, he posted an excellent online mashup of “Golden Train” with Michael Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night” which you can download for free right here.

Then we have the case of Mr. Vincent Frank who, as Frankmusik, has brought us intriguing electro pop such as 2009’s “Confusion Girl”. Do not miss “The Fear Inside”, which bounds to the runner-up spot on my chart. This is one powerful song that will not leave your head. Mr. Frank also has a softer side, and a great set of pipes, which he shows off in “Hurt You Again” and “Warrior”, which were available online recently for free download, at this website. Another reminder of the talent that just smokes from Frankmusik.

Elsewhere in the chart, Brandon Flowers’ “Jacksonville” lines up at #3, while the gorgeous duet by Andrea Lewis and Simon Curtis takes it up a few notches to #5, “Talk To Me” (available on Ms Lewis’ 54321 album for free download right here).

Rihanna’s “S&M” and Kanye West’s “Monster” are two potent records that follow each other into the Top 10. Having now bought Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, you will see more from that record in these chart reaches soon!

The droll “Alors on danse” by Belgium’s Stromae, and Elouise’s rework of ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” round out the newbies to the Top 10, making it two-for-two for Elouise, following the #2 “Pretender”.

The fastest risers on the chart are two of last week’s debuts. It’s an unconventional but apparently much desired cover version, as Bright Light Bright Light’s take on the “Twin Peaks” TV show theme “Falling” soars 23-12. Javi Silva’s latest project Native Underground also scores with the radio mix of “Till It Hurts”, climbing 24-14. Javi’s “Situation” got to #3 last year.

The first of this week’s debuts belongs to “Rolling In The Deep” by Grammy winner Adele, and I’ve heard this song everywhere, including supermarkets!! 2008’s “Chasing Pavements”, a #1 for me that ranked #7 at year’s end, is a tough act to follow but “Rolling” is a good introduction to Adele’s upcoming sophomore release 21.

The action on Matt & Kim’s latest album Sidewalks seems to have subsided a bit but it’s a fun, high energy release that definitely recalls their concert. The last song on the album is the big sounding, anthemic “Ice Melts” and it’s one of the most memorable tracks that certainly belongs on this chart (you can listen to the song at the bottom of this blog). The duo’s “Daylight” got to #4 in 2009.

Lastly there’s a veteran act that has never appeared on my chart since its debut in 1998. But of course they have many 80’s classics that would have easily charted for me back then. Duran Duran’s “All You Need Is Now”, the title track of their latest release (currently online only), is their best effort since the 90’s – I kinda liked their cover of Grandmaster & Melle Mel’s “White Lines”. If the rest of the album is this good then we’re all in for a treat. Lead singer Simon LeBon however did appear as the uncredited vocalist on Ferry Corsten’s 2006 dance hit “Fire”, which reached #7 on this chart.

You can view the full chart right here or using the link to the right under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART***.

Tuned-On! Best of 2010

I’m soooo glad 2010 was an enjoyable year for music.  If there was any year that I needed distracting from everyday life, this was it.  I probably didn’t listen to as much as I should have or might have in past years, though it seemed like there was an inordinate amount of great new music out there.  It was difficult this year to come up with a Top 50 of 2010 that kept changing up until the last day or so.  The complete Top 50 is available right here or using the link to the right under Pages from BILLCS IS TUNED-ON!

Simon Curtis’ independent free release 8-bit Heart set the pace for the year and the rest just couldn’t keep up!  Four songs from 8-bit Heart appear in this list – and the last time four songs by one artist appeared in the list it was 2003, when four charted from Jason Mraz’s Waiting For My Rocket To Come, including the year end #1 “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)”.  The same thing happened in 2002 when four from Remy Shand’s only release to date The Way I Feel charted, including that year’s #1 “Take A Message”.  So Simon is in great company as the rave up “Beat Drop” grabs #1, the heartfelt “8-bit Heart” is #4, the bitter but powerful “Delusional” ranks #6, and the fun but naughty “Joystick” is #26 for 2010.  A slam dunk for the Robot Army in 2010, and more awaits in the front end of 2011!

I have great hopes for Rod Thomas, aka Bright Light Bright Light, in 2011.  This extremely talented singer/songwriter/producer/instrumentalist/DJ – yes he’s busy! – has three songs in the list, including the PopJustice Hi-Fi UK release “Love Part II” at #2, and tremendous freebies “A New Word To Say” at #8 and “Cry At Films” at #45.  North America next please!!

Penguin Prison, aka Chris Glover, will release his debut album via UK’s Wall of Sound label in February, which should contain several winners that I heard in concert in October.  PP’s 70’s throwback “The Worse It Gets” ranks #3 for 2010, and the innovative “Something I’m Not” grabs #9.  PLUS… his remixes of Australian band The Temper Trap’s “Resurrection” takes #5, and “White Knuckle Ride” by Jamiroquai is #24.

It ended up, unexpectedly, being one of my favourite albums of the year, and Brandon Flowers proved in 2010 that he had the goods to make it as a solo artist if he had to.  Flamingo is a much less raucous effort than those of the Killers, which may have thrown off some fans, and his live showcase in August was similarly low key.  But when song quality is as high as something like “Crossfire” then it’s difficult to complain.  “Crossfire” is #7 for 2010.

Both Mika and Lady GaGa continued their success into 2010 on different levels.  The third single from The Boy Who Knew Too Much – a sparkling pop/dance effort which got two songs into the Top 20 last year – is the best track from the album, “Rain”, which ranks #10.  GaGa became her own music and multi-media experiential force in 2010, and she slams three songs into the Top 50:  the King5cat remix of “Teeth” at #11, the ubiquitous “Bad Romance” at #15, and “Speechless” (played at the Grammys with no less than Sir Elton John) at #23.

If there’s one distinct voice to arrive on record in 2010 it’s that of UK chanteuse Elouise.  From her debut The Stardust EP comes “Pretender” at #12.  Next stop, The World.

And one distinct talent to welcome back in 2010 is New York resident Richard Barone, who put out a number of great solo albums in the early 90’s.  Richard’s “Glow” got smiles all around and is #13 for the year.

A carryover from 2009?  Dan Black toured the hell out of his debut record UN in 2010, and while he placed two songs in last year’s Top 10, one frantic dance number followed into 2010 – “Pump My Pumps” grabs #14.  He opened with that song when I saw his show in February.

Ryan Star spent the last five years building an extremely loyal following online after appearing in Rock Star:Supernova on TV.  That dedication pushed out his major label release 11:59, and I caught the CD release show in New York in August, which was an energetic and emotional blast.  Ryan’s tremendous songs “Start A Fire” (#16) and “Breathe” (#30) brought that to record in 2010.

California band Lifehouse have never been away for long since their debut release in 2000 – yeah it’s been 10 years since Hanging By A Moment!  Worldwide touring awaited them with the release of Smoke And Mirrors, which finds lead off single “Halfway Gone” at #17 for the year.

New York singer Javi had his first release ‘leaked’ in 2010.  The Monsieur Adi remix of the unofficially released “Situation” sparkled with 80’s panache and style and ranks #18.  New releases by his band Native Underground await us in 2011.

Until 2010, Kelis was someone that I never expected to see on one of my year end lists.  It’s hard to erase those mediocre memories of 2004’s “Milkshake”.  But the gal has lots of class and can sing up a storm, as she so aptly proved with one of my unofficial theme songs for the year, “Acapella” at #19.

As Penguin Prison has proved, great remixes work wonders.  Blake Lewis’ “Heartbreak on Vinyl” was heart-wrenching enough yet the LA Riots edit is a dancefloor killer, and ranks #20 for 2010.  “Friction” by LA’s Adam Tyler has enough energy bottled up to murder the dance floor as well, but the Ricardo Autobahn made it frenetic.  “Friction” is #22 for the year.  And like Penguin Prison, Russ Chimes is a DJ/producer/artist force unto himself.  Three fantastic videos set to his music told a story of kidnapping and intrigue – not just yer run of the mill dance music.  The best of those videos is for “Never Look Back”, and this splendid instrumental is #25 for 2010.

And while those songs to me are the Best of 2010, there were several other memorable songs that rank between 26 and 50, including those by new artists such as Florida-based Clayton Senne, UK duo Bim, LA’s Saint Motel and Christian TV, two more great pop tunes from Evan Taubenfeld’s debut Welcome To The Blacklist Club (following up two in the Top 20 of 2009), Australian pop/dance artist Nelson Clemente, Mike Posner, Miike Snow, UK’s Example, Vampire Weekend, and Canadians Justin Nozuka and Andrea Lewis.

I expect to broadcast these songs online (just the music, no talking!) in order in the afternoon of Sunday January 2 so watch for details!  Happy 2011 to all 🙂

 

 

 

 

It’s Not All About The Free Music

Although free downloads courtesy of the artists themselves certainly appeared online well beforehand, it wasn’t until 2009 that I started coming across absolutely fantastic songs… as good as anything that a major record label could give the world.  Connecting with the world-wide music-verse through Twitter was the catalyst as it became a social networking necessity for entertainers of all genres.  iTunes of course had been offering free singles of the week too, sometimes offering terrific songs, including independently released tracks, though varying with what country you’re in.  Hello “Before The Worst” by The Script, one of my favourites of 2009.

But it’s the performers who are doing it for themselves that interest me and make me ponder about their ultimate goals.  Witness Mike Posner, who released his mixtapes for free online in 2008 and 2009, and by 2010 ended up with a huge Top 10 hit with the addictive “Cooler Than Me”.  To me he’s the poster boy who made the transition from online phenom to major record label hit, accompanied by all the trimmings that one would expect – album, merch, tour, and so on.  Is it worth it?  Time will tell.  How long will casual fans stay attached if the next record doesn’t have the same magic?  Hard to say.  Will they download the next record if it’s free?  Very likely.  If it’s for purchase?  That’s a maybe – does that make selling a record a crapshoot?

What I find most magnetic about all of this free online business is that there seems to be a consistent method to getting that free music to fans.  Is this replacing the way I always understood the record biz to be – discovering, marketing and promoting new talent?  Has the record biz outsourced this to the online community?  Radio, for one, does not seem to feed into the online community other than perhaps as research.  Radio does not seem to want the latest sensation – radio wants that already grown for them, too.

It’s kind of silly if you’re not already known in some way through performing, concerts, music videos, or other entertainment vehicle, to start marketing yourself online from scratch.  You already have to be part of something.  Just as examples, the ever-talented Simon Curtis and Andrea Lewis were both part of the Nickelodeon movie “Spectacular!”, and Lewis had pedigree from being a cast member of TV’s Degrassi (alongside Drake, no less).  And they both released stunning free online records, 8bit Heart and 54321 respectively.

You Tube has taken posting videos online many steps further than that.  There is so much old and new music on You Tube that it’s mind-boggling.  So if a performer has several songs and has perhaps even invested in a video or two, You Tube is also a place to grow that fan base.  It also reaches the youngest possible audience, if that’s what you’re seeking.

Performers who take the extra personal steps make online sharing and communicating positively special.  It might just be in simple messaging, podcasts, fan forums, live broadcasts – though some I’ve tried to see have crashed the servers they tried to use.  It’s the next closest thing to shaking a fan’s hand.  As a music fan myself, that connection, however brief,  is very gratifying.

Even if they’re signed to a major label and can’t make their music free, it’s an important part of this process for the performers and their fans.  Evan Taubenfeld calls his fans The Blacklist Club.  Australian indie singer Nelson Clemente calls his fans his Cherry Tomatoes.  Lady GaGa has her Little Monsters.  Simon Curtis has his Robot Army, and I witnessed that effort happen almost instantly.  You’re not really a name brand, you’re absorbed into the action whether it’s through sentiment or something much more interactive.

And then there are remixes.  Although I tend to prefer the original versions of songs, remixes can be either extremely entertaining or utterly useless.  2010 brought us the amazing Penguin Prison and Bright Light Bright Light among others, remixers who are also DJs and performers too.

I love it when artists establish another identity.  Darren Hayes had a side project with songwriter/producer Robert Conley called We Are Smug with several great songs that were available for free for a while.  Producer 100 Akres has paired up with Toronto singer Roz Bell for two positively grooving free downloads, 2009’s R&B-laden “Pink Cadillac” and this year’s bouncin’ “Breakup Anthem”.  Collaborations like these beg for something more thorough, and I think music fans will buy that.

Speaking of fans buying their music, I’m not sure if that’s currently the goal of performers who market their music online for free.  It’s hard to say if they’re wealthy, have a solid source of income from something else (such as songwriting) as a foundation, or are everyday hard-working performers who try to use this technology platform as a launching pad for something else.

Some have already got merch, some don’t.  Some have toured, even briefly, some have not.  Some have had physical releases of CD’s – and have undertaken to sign each copy of a limited physical release, usually sold online or at concerts.  Some have videos – some are extremely well-crafted, others are home-made.  Some send or mail out their product themselves, directly from their own hands, others have people assisting them.  Some manage themselves, others are with agencies or managers.  Some have investors.  So if they’re not necessarily wanting fans to buy their music, how do they expect to make money?  And on what scale do they plan to ‘work’?

So yes, performers with free music online, you definitely have me and other fans at “Hello”.   You’ve got us interested and loving your tunes, we’re just kind of curious how it will all play out for you in the long run.   Engage and involve us, it’s okay to be ubiquitous.   Remix your songs and take the steps to make some things a little more personal.   Follow through, make and admit your mistakes, share the other side of the coin – every day is not amazing, as much as we would all like to think it is.

Find the ways to keep us coming back – even if one day your music is not available for free download.  It’s hard to predict what fans and the public will want, because quite simply it’s not all about the free music.




17 of My Favourite Musical and Lyrical Moments of 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a precursor to my annual Best of 2010 list, I’ve borrowed an idea from xolondon’s blog to focus on some of my favourite musical and lyrical ‘moments’ of 2010.  These 17 ‘moments’ are just pieces of songs and performances that struck me for one reason or another, and are listed in no particular order.

  • The glorious and inspired – 90’s not 80’s, since I for one thought I heard Erasure – in the instrumental intro to “Love Part II” by Bright Light Bright Light.
  • The big, big dramatic introduction to Michael Bublé’s rendition of “Cry Me A River”.
  • When Simon Curtis first suggests ‘Tell the DJ drop the beat / Don’t play some mother fuckin’ band’ at the :25 mark, and then proceeds to brilliantly shout out and sample the then-very fresh  “Bad Romance” by Lady GaGa at 1:01, in “Beat Drop”.
  • The final crushing realizations of the sadness of ‘Head over heels for you no more’ at 3:29  in Bim’s “Head Over Heels”.
  • The celebration of ‘Before you, my whole life was acapella’ at 1:04 and then repeated several times in “Acapella” by Kelis.
  • The jaunty Doobie Brothers inspired melody starting with the the chorus in “The Worse It Gets” by Penguin Prison at :54 – ‘I’ve got a car that I call Jenny’…
  • Finally realizing the entire point that The Temper Trap was making while repeating “Imma dig that grave’ at 4:22 in the Penguin Prison remix of “Resurrection”, which changed my entire viewpoint of that song.
  • The updated disco backdrop, which takes off at :35 and seems to be borrowed almost verbatim from 1980’s “Love Sensation” by Loleatta Holloway, in the Penguin Prison remix of Jamiroquai’s underrated “White Knuckle Ride”.
  • The glorious chorus of Mika’s “Rain” beginning first at :47 – a song which is not to me so much about rain as it is other things.
  • Elouise belting out ‘Pretend you’re mine’ in “Pretender” at 3:04.
  • ‘When you let the darkness go, everything glows’ at :52 of “Glow” by Richard Barone, the new unofficial theme song of New York City for me.
  • The chorus first kicks in with ‘Here we go…’ at :33 and then the immediate Q&A ‘Is this love or just sexual desire? We’re gonna start a fire’ at :41, in “Start A Fire” by Ryan Star.
  • Adam Tyler’s raw and excited vocal when he sings ‘With a look we bait the trap and wait’ at 1:01 in the Ricardo Autobahn edit of “Friction”.
  • Christian Burns’ acapella vocal break ‘And I love it when you fall to me, suddenly’, followed by the same verse accompanied by instantly thunderous keyboards, at 2:51 in the radio edit of BT’s “Suddenly”.
  • The first dramatic keyboard riff which transforms Reni Lane’s “Place For Us” in repetition into a sexy late-night dancefloor stomper in its Will Eastman remix.
  • The final few bars of lonely toy piano at 2:33 in Simon Curtis’ “8-bit Heart”, which made my eyes well up on the first few listens.
  • As with “8-bit Heart”, when Blake Lewis first sings ‘I wish we could just go back there tonight’ at :22, referring to the closed record store in “Heartbreak On Vinyl”.

Please do reply with yours 🙂

Tuned-On! Top 30 #342 – December 20/10

Don’t let anyone tell that moving house isn’t time-consuming.  While music plays in the background while you’re packing away, unfortunately you’re prevented from doing your research and blog duties.  So I can only gush over a few selective items with this edition of my personal chart.  And you’ll find the full chart posted down below until I get my proper software installed on my new laptop to make the prettier web version.

It’s so suitable for this last personal chart of 2010 for:

  • A new number one!  Yes Penguin Prison is back on top with his own release this time.  “Golden Train” sets the tone nicely going into 2011 and Mr. Chris Glover will be a force!
  • Another bellwether song for 2011 may be “The Fear Inside” by Frankmusik, which vaults 18-4 and looks destined for the top.  Look for this one to find its way to clubs first… then watch out.
  • I’m still waiting for someone to remix “Jacksonville” by Brandon Flowers, which reaches #5 this week.  It would be amazing to see what someone can do with the darker sounding parts of this song.
  • “Talk To Me” has now officially become my favourite song from Andrea Lewis’ free album 54321.  And it just happens to feature Simon Curtis… an added bonus to an already terrific song vocally and lyrically, with a sound right out of the mid-60’s.
  • “S&M” by Rihanna has needlessly been getting a bad rap.  It’s her best song since 2007’s “Don’t Stop The Music”, and I love her raw vocal during the chorus.
  • I love it when artists transform known songs and make them their own.  Elouise has done just that with the luscious “The Winner Takes It All”, now a dramatic stage ballad instead of a perky dance number.  And those ABBA songs aren’t a walk in the park to sing either!
  • The most unexpected record of this year – well it’s really a 2011 release to me – is Bright Light Bright Light’s take on the theme to the TV show “Twin Peaks”.  “Falling” was one of the more haunting songs to kick off the 1990’s in the original version by Julee Cruise from her Floating Into The Night album.  BLBL aka Rod Thomas has taken away the haunting, otherworldly feel and revisited the song as a more simple but emotional ballad.  And it fits in so nicely with the more upbeat BLBL songs you’ve seen in this chart for most of 2010.  And it’s brought to you free courtesy of blogger to the Grammys and now CNN, Mr. Arjan Writes right here.  “Falling” bows this week at #23.
  • One of the most amazing free downloads of 2010 for me was the ‘leaked’ Monsieur Adi remix of “Situation” by New York singer Javi.  Like that song, a new tune by one of Javi’s side projects called Native Underground has surfaced with a similar 80’s-style reflection – and I mean circa 1983 and 1984 when Culture Club and Wham! had their day.  You can also catch “Till It Hurts (radio mix)” for free for now right here.  Javi and Native Underground are going places in 2011!  It debuts at #24.
  • Last, it looked like Pharrell Williams’ band project N*E*R*D was going to stay in the one-hit-wonder department in my 12 year chart history.  For after being assaulted with iTunes commercials in late 2003 – you know those ones with the silhouetted performers, see video below – their song “Rock Star” in its aggressive and fun Jason Nevins remix soared to #1 on my chart, ending up in the Top 10 for that year.  So the group has come full circle and made a soulful and very sexy ballad called “Hypnotize U”, produced by Daft Punk of all people, which debuts at #26.  N*E*R*D is opening for Gorillaz on tour.

I’ll update the link to my chart’s webpage once I have the software up and running.  Enjoy!  In the meantime, here’s the full chart:

02 01 GOLDEN TRAIN Penguin Prison
05 02 GLOW Richard Barone
01 03 RESURRECTION (Penguin Prison remix) Temper Trap, The
18 04 THE FEAR INSIDE Frankmusik
09 05 JACKSONVILLE Brandon Flowers
04 06 NEVER LOOK BACK Russ Chimes
08 07 BREAKUP ANTHEM (WE DIDN’T CARE) 100 Akres F/ Roz Bell
06 08 LOVE PART II Bright Light Bright Light
13 09 TALK TO ME Andrea Lewis F/ Simon Curtis
10 10 VOODOO Andrea Lewis
11 11 ALORS ON DANSE Stromae
12 12 OPERATION Adam Tyler
17 13 S&M Rihanna
15 14 MONSTER Kanye West F/ Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj
03 15 WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE (Penguin Prison remix) Jamiroquai
24 16 THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL Elouise
21 17 BULLETPROOF MONSTER (LaRoux x Nicki Minaj Revox) Colin Munroe
19 18 READY TO LOVE Bim
20 19 HEART AND I Robbie Williams
22 20 RAISE YOUR GLASS Pink
07 21 WHEN SHE TURNS 18 Christian TV
23 22 BARBRA STREISAND Duck Sauce
New 23 FALLING Bright Light Bright Light
New 24 TILL IT HURTS (Radio mix) Native Underground
14 25 LOVEKILLER Darin
New 26 HYPNOTIZE U N*E*R*D
25 27 AUDIO PRECISION Jackanory & The Ball
26 28 START A FIRE Ryan Star
27 29 DEAR DICTATOR (Sam Sparro remix) Saint Motel
28 30 CHANGE OF SEASONS Sweet Thing

A Hat-trick of Great Cover Versions

This isn’t just your usual blog for me.  People who know me know how particular I am about cover versions, particularly those that have been substantial hits.  Nonetheless, I can be persuaded with the right version 🙂 Take for example, most recently, Pet Shop Boys’ rendition of  “Viva La Vida” – but then it’s PSB style mixed with some verses from their own “Domino Dancing”.  Prior to that, you have to go back to 2006 for covers that I really liked – Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me” as recorded by Chris Isaak, and Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” as recorded by Meat Loaf & Marion Raven (though Celine’s was actually a cover too, just the best known version).

So here are three recent covers.  Click on the headings – the first two of which are free downloads courtesy of the artists themselves.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miike Snow – “Animal” (Christian TV 2010 Beast Mode Remix)

I’d like to bill this as Christian TV vs Miike Snow.  This is a terrific pairing 🙂 Christian has slowed down and minimalized the upbeat playfulness of “Animal” without taking the fun away.  He just keeps the fun in anticipation instead of being overt.  I’ve always found the song kind of self-celebratory in some ways – about remaining true to yourself while disguising yourself for certain situations.  A great bonus from the singer whose “When She Turns 18” still rides in the Top 10 of my chart.  Get it before it disappears!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam Tyler “Torn” (acoustic)

From one of my increasingly favourite new singers comes this beautifully stripped down version of Natalie Imbruglia’s 1998 massive hit.  It’s not totally stripped, there are some subtle string arrangements to give it depth.  But kudos to Mr. Tyler’s vocal on this one, considering we have only recently known him for his dance-oriented efforts like “Friction” (which took time but won me over big time this year).  “Torn” sounds different sung by a guy and he’s given it the right emotional quality which has only been hinted at in some of the vocals in “Friction”.  Again, grab this triumph while you can!



 

 

 

 

 

 

Gavin Mikhail “Raise Your Glass”

Another song about self-celebration, US singer Gavin Mikhail has given Pink’s recent hit a bluesy piano man edge that keeps everything that you like about Pink’s version in tact (other than Pink herself).  Like fellow piano guy Clayton Senne, Gavin’s been putting out records for a few years now and has got some notoriety through working with Peter Gabriel a couple of years back.  He’s a fine vocalist and understated talent, and when you hear “Raise Your Glass” you may just do exactly that.  Cheers – and order your copy on iTunes to keep Pink’s original company.

Tuned-On! Top 30 #341 – December 6/10

NOTE:  View the full video for “The Fear Inside” by Frankmusik at Cherrytree Records.  It went live after I posted my blog!

It’s been a quiet few weeks music-wise for me, not because of the music but other things, so the new chart has only two debuts, but oh how promising they are.  And the chart has a fair amount of activity to keep things interesting.

In the 12 year history of this chart I can’t remember anyone dominating the Top 3 songs, but indirectly that’s what’s happened in this edition.  Good ol’ Penguin Prison accomplishes this feat with what looks to be a remarkable 2011 ahead of him.  His remix of “Resurrection” by Grammy-nominated (for the remix of ‘Sweet Disposition”) Aussies The Temper Trap clings to #1, as does his remix of Jamiroquai’s “White Knuckle Ride” at #3.   But the man himself (aka New Yorker Chris Glover) soars 7-2 with “Golden Train” from his forthcoming Wall Of Sound UK release.   The BlogVerse will be watching Mr. Glover closely in 2011!

The feel-good record of 2010 is “Glow” by Richard Barone and it climbs into the Top 5 but is not yet done at #5.  The Glow album has grown on me immensely since its release in September and 2011 will see me digging deeper into it.  New to the Top 10 is “Voodoo” by Andrea Lewis.  The energy in this song is as contagious as the melody and vocal stylings of “Talk To Me”, Andrea’s duet with Simon Curtis, which happens to climb to #13 as well.

Loads of activity comes mid-way with Stromae’s very dry dance hit “Alors on danse”, Adam Tyler’s strutworthy “Operation”, the minimalist electro of Bim’s “Ready To Love”, and “Heart And I”, a wonderful ballad by Robbie Williams, whose return to Take That has been a highlight of Britpop for 2010.  But the biggest moves come from Rihanna’s raw and sexy “S&M”, and of course the Fastest Riser, the mammoth “Monster” by Kanye West and associates, moving up 29-15.  This is the first hip hop tune in quite some time that keeps making me want to listen.  Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is definitely on my list to check out in full.  Colin Munroe’s “Bulletproof Monster” revox featuring La Roux of course and Nicki Minaj’s “Monster” vocal rant is in a category of its own and rises up to #21.

But those debuts:  At the top, you’ll find the trailer for Frankmusik’s highly anticipated video of “The Fear Inside”.  Vince Frank is now signed to Cherrytree/Interscope for North America and is next release Do It In The A.M. is on deck for early 2011.  “The Fear Inside” bows at #18 and will be massive initially in dance clubs, but don’t be surprised folks if this one’s power crosses over to pop fans.  Listen to the full track right here.  And then we have “The Winner Takes It All” by Elouise, premiering at #24, which I have been raving about for weeks, particularly now since her Stardust Melodies EP is on release.  At the bottom of the blog is her recent performance of the song at Madame JoJo’s in London.

You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART***  to the right, or simply click right here.  Enjoy! Don’t forget to post any comments you might have 🙂


Has Buying an “Import” Record Gone Totally Online?

Is it just me, or have the days of buying imported records gone totally online?

For those of you, like me, who lived through the vinyl era, there was a time in the early 80’s when one of the only ways to stay on top of the latest modern rock/alternative music was to head to a few record stores that specialized in acquiring imports.  So we’d shell out the extra bucks to acquire our songs and albums, months in advance of domestic release (or sometimes without domestic release).

Now it seems that there should be a way of buying an imported record, but it appears that online stores like Amazon have this duty to the public.  So to get a hard copy, we have to shell out their price plus shipping.  And that’s okay if you buy more than a certain amount, because then shipping is free.  And it’s probably a better deal than at retail too.

BUT of course there are some songs that don’t have a physical release.  That makes wanting to buy them even more exclusive, because Mp3’s are restricted in some cases to certain territories.  So songs you can buy on US iTunes are not available on UK iTunes and vice versa.  To me this defeats the notion of an online global community because the territorial rights divide that community again.

So I’m putting it out to the online music community to get its act together and negotiate something that makes music available for purchase worldwide.  This will help artists worldwide and will also bring different trends and musical cultures together for the worldwide community to share.

I’d appreciate your thoughts.  This isn’t by any means a fully thought out treatise on the subject, just a starting point for discussion! 🙂

Elouise’s new EP Stardust Melodies Has Arrived!

To follow up the wondrous Stardust EP (which contains “Pretender”, still sitting pretty in my chart), UK singer Elouise has released a second EP called Stardust Melodies, featuring three tracks, “Stardust”, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, and the sensational cover of ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” which I previewed in the summer.  The EP is available on iTunes UK, Amazon, plus once again in a limited luxury glossy digipack CD which is an indulgence well worth owning!  Get all the details right here and support one of 2010’s finest talents.