NYC alt.rocker @MickyJamesmusic shakes you down with “Tie Me Up” and “New Heart”

MICKY JAMES, “Tie Me Up” and “New Heart”

NYC singer/songwriter Micky James is definitely an attention grabber with ‘double A’ single “Tie Me Up” and “New Heart”.  He’s got a look that makes you think Oasis meets Mick Jagger, but his sound is contemporary sort of post-punk blast from the 80’s, if you think Joan Jett and Generation X-era Billy Idol.  “Tie Me Up” is a quick, edgy, tidy rocker that may draw its energy from the punk era, recalling Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.  “New Heart”, on the other hand, is a bouncy synth-rocker that has a lot of roots in British new wave like Duran Duran as if sung by a Billie Joe Armstrong or Brandon Urie.  There’s a lot to enjoy about these original songs vocally, musically and melodically, which makes them stand well on their own, however you consider Micky’s possible influences, so be sure to give ’em a shot at the Spotify links above and below.

https://open.spotify.com/track/46MpilrHl5tuTYgKyt5smU

 

Nashville pop/soul singer @RLumRmusic’s “With My Words” is one to watch

https://soundcloud.com/werlumr/with-my-words

R.LUM.R., “With My Words”

Take a classic song structure and pair it with a great vocal and heartfelt lyrics and you have “With My Words” by Nashville pop/soul singer R.Lum.R.  He’s definitely one to watch for with this song.  Reminiscent particularly of Sam Smith’s “Like I Can” at times, R.Lum.R. often sings in the same timbre that has made many of Sam’s songs so successful.  But that’s where the comparison stops.  Taking cues perhaps from an un-enhanced Tory Lanez kind of style that is somehow channeled via 90’s R&B like from Jodeci or Brian McKnight, with songs like “With My Words”, R.Lum.R. could easily sneak into the fan realm of singers like Miguel with his personable, honest branding.  

Set to lift your spirits, lend your ears to “Shooting Star” by @AnnaYvettemusic

ANNA YVETTE, “Shooting Star”

NYC-based singer/songwriter Anna Yvette has a winner with the uplifting dance/pop of “Shooting Star”.  It’s full of feel-good, beautiful imagery that aims for those times when you’re going crazy, not yourself, and don’t know what to do – just be your best and aim high.  Inherently everyone is beautiful and talented in their own ways, and Anna Yvette is one like-minded singer to whom you can align yourself.  She’s recorded and written with scores of other dance music artists like Aero Chord, Pegboard Nerds, and Laura Brehm, as well as up-and-comers like JPB and Egzod.  But often it’s her own records like “Shooting Star” that are the most memorable.  You can also hear some of Anna Yvette’s music in a variety of video games, and she’s white-listed “Shooting Star” on You Tube for that purpose (see the  comments in the above link).  There’s a lot that’s subtle and gentle about the song with its synth arrangement, and all of the positives within its 4 minutes contribute to “Shooting Star” breezing by effortlessly.  

“What You Do” is a must for the club and festival circuit from British duo @KuDeTaofficial and Dutch producer @JoeStonemusic with singer Sylvia Mwenze

KU DE TA & JOE STONE and SYLVIA MWENZE, “What You Do”

There are some songs that just belong in clubland, so you can expect to hear “What You Do”, as made in the collaboration of British production duo Ku De Ta (as in coup d’état) and Dutch producer Joe Stone, for the rest of the Fall and into Winter.  “What You Do” has a splendid uptempo house rhythm and a vocal by Sylvia Mwenze that is nothing short of perfect for this kind of song.  And there is nothing better to do with this kind of record but to loosen up, put on those dancing shoes, and groove the night away.  Joe Stone has been known to make some crafty, infectious tracks, such as 2015’s “The Party” which brought back Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do it” to clubs 20 years later.  Matched with Ku De Ta, and to keep us happy, these guys could definitely work on another record or five 🙂

French collective @SlowHours drop their adventurous debut single of many moods, “Endless”

slowhours

SLOW HOURS, “Endless”

After numerous well-received remixes, which led to most of the six members of Slow Hours – Khamsin, Rusty Hook, Kidswaste, Kultur, Astre, and Lain – branching out with many terrific solo efforts, many of which I’ve written about, the band has dropped their debut original, progressive-sounding single “Endless”.  It’s a moody affair for sure, but well worthy of your kind attention for just shy of four minutes.  Now these guys know how to start a record with a great lead up to a complete change of pace before the 50 second mark, which turns into a gritty, trappy main section that returns later in the song.  It’s punctuated by a quieter, cinematic-sounding break, and finishes with almost a minute of melt-in-your mouth piano and symphonic effects that help make “Endless” quite an unexpected musical adventure.  I hope more will be forthcoming soon to show off the many diverse talents within Slow Hours.

“Could This Be Love” is sparkling funky dance music from @Jenauxmusic and T-Elle

JENAUX and T-ELLE, “Could This Be Love”

I don’t know what I enjoy more about “Could This Be Love”, the latest from NYC’s Jenaux – the 80’s-tastic funky groove or the accompanying underlying keyboard hook of low notes, which when played in higher notes you’ll find up front in classic house music tracks.  This is all in fine contrast to T-Elle’s soulful and sometimes sassy vocal, so overall it comes off like fine musicians like Boz Scaggs or Toto pairing up with an R&B/disco queen like Evelyn “Champagne” King or Linda Clifford. And trust me, there is nothing at all wrong with that!! “Could This Be Love” is a tight and tidy addition to any disco/dance/soul playlist that highlights the classic influences of yesteryear, while offering a fine alternative to the everyday pop/dance you hear on the radio.  

Australia’s @Throttle is back with spry original “Wanderlust”

THROTTLE, “Wanderlust”

Though he’s been extremely busy on the festival circuit this year, Australia’s Throttle returns with a spry new original, “Wanderlust”, for his own Dirty Disco label through Spinnin’.  While his beats continue to be heavy and playful, the synths in “Wanderlust” this time stay in the high end often, as a synthesized voice reassures us that “lovin’ you is easy”, but when repeating the hook sings “lovin’ you is ***” – left to our imagination.  “Wanderlust” is all about a love for travel, and producer/DJ’s like Robbie who enjoy performing worldwide certainly get their taste of it, so it’s nice to bring positive thoughts back full circle and put them into song.  “Wanderlust” is an easy choice for clubs that will have hands clapping and lots of smiles lighting up the room.

New partially-masked producer @Aadysimusic offers up wild and futuristic “Myth”

aadysi

AADYSI, “Myth” (free DL)

Joining the mystique of fellow producers like Alan Walker by wearing a partial mask, the otherwise NYC-based Aadysi (say it like ‘odyssey’), who’s a student of the ICON collective (like Jauz or NGHTMRE), has a lot going on in his instrumental “Myth”, which is available below for free while it lasts.  It’s a striking song that has a lot of different movement within, from isolated piano sounds to grinding, wild ‘forbidden bass’ trap and almost industrial flavours.  “Myth” somehow all works because it’s so unpredictable and makes you anticipate that Aadysi’s music could be a lot of fun in the offering.  Its nearly 3 minutes come and go in a flash, so I’ll definitely be interested in hearing what’s coming from Aadysi.

https://soundcloud.com/aadysimusic/myth

 

 

#BILLCSTop30 #546 – October 15/18

The Ides of October are upon us already, and that means Summer favourites are departing the chart.  To replace them though, there’s no shortage of great tunes.  There are three debuts and a brand new #1!

The Top 10

  • Calgary’s Kiesza gets her first #1 on this chart with the season-appropriate “Phantom Of The Dance Floor”, featuring Quebec opera singer Philippe Sly, in only its third appearance on the chart.  It’s a fun song and an even more fun, manic video.  Spread the news about this one kids as people are missing out.  It’s also the first #1 by a Canadian since this year at this very time when Loud Luxury and Nikki’s Wives held court with “Show Me”.  Benny Benassi & Sofi Tukker’s “Everybody Needs A Kiss” slides to #2, still one of my faves of the year, and it will hang around for a while.
  • Another song that I can’t stop playing is “Verona” by Australia’s Peter Wilson and England’s Sean Smith.  It advances 9 to 4 this week, and the combination of 80’s musical flavour/production, great storytelling, and fine singing make “Verona” the total package!
  • Philadelphia’s N i G H T S get their second Top 5 hit with “Eyes”, following last year’s totally different “P A R T Y”.  Give these guys some time and they will make their mark, with so many songs up their sleeves.

  • Both “High On Life” by Martin Garrix and Bonn (above), and “All For You” by Years and Years (below), finally break into the Top 10 after a lot of patient waiting for some of my favourites to depart.  “High On Life” climbs 11-7 and “All For You” is up 12-8.  

  • “Vacant Love” by Caden Jester and Blake Rose hits another new peak, climbing 10-9.

  • Norway’s Jesper Jenset gets his second Top 10 as featured vocalist in Gromee’s “One Last Time” (above), which climbs 13-10.  He’s also featured in Lost Kings’ new single “Drunk As Hell” which you can check out below in its amusing Simpsons-ish looking video.

Movin’ On Up

  • It’s sort of peaked already but “Rise” by Jonas Blue and Jack & Jack (above) has been slowly making its way up my chart.  It climbs 15-11 this week.  Jack & Jack recently dropped their new song “No One Compares To You” (below).

  • Netherlands-based producers Revelries also continue to climb with their latest original “Infinitum”, featuring Australia’s Beamish Boys on vocals.  It rises 14-12.
  • The fastest riser on the chart is “Loyal” by Odesza, up 24-14.  This should be no surprise; it’s one of the most intriguing and unpredictable songs on the chart with a soulful female vocal (sample or no?) that drives it home.

  • Also making a significant leap is PLS&TY’s “Down For Me” in its club-ready Morgan Page extended mix, climbing 21-15.

  • Though it made a small move two weeks ago, “Soldier” by Sidney Samson & GWise is hardly done, and jumps 27-22.

3 Debuts

  • It took a few spins for me to really dig this record, but now there’s no stoppin’ me playing it!  My fellow Canadian A-Trak is back with a fun, inspiring original called “DJ’s Gotta Dance More”, made even more genuine with legend Todd Terry on vocals!!  This song is a MUST for every club DJ.  It’s classic, reverent house with a great message.  It bows at #24.  A-Trak was last on the chart as part of the trio with Kimbra and Foster The People’s Mark Foster in 2012 for “Warrior” (#10), a freebee at the time courtesy of Converse.
  • Mercer returns to the chart after his #1 “Satisfy” with “Fireworks”, a 70’s retrotastic song I’ve been playing for months that is re-released as part of French producer’s new EP Neo Disco, along with another new song “Monte Carlo”.  “Fireworks” arrives at #25.

  • The Chainsmokers are also back making a collaboration with Country singer Kelsea Ballerini work so well with “This Feeling”.  Their other recent single “Side Effects” failed to resonate with me, sounding too much like other dance pop on the charts.  “This Feeling” premieres at #26.

View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here!  Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!

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

Check out and ‘like’ the BILLCS Music Projects Facebook page 🙂

 

UK pop-soul singer/songwriter @SamDickinson returns with the many delights of “Wild Sun”

SAM DICKINSON, “Wild Sun” (original and Handbag House radio edit)

Sam Dickinson has been high on my radar since the initial release of his album The Stories That Occurred back in 2013.  A pop album that straddled ballads and dance-pop with a myriad of soulful influences , it sometimes felt like the second coming of Simply Red, and received a reboot a year later in a special edition.  During that time, the Newcastle upon Tyne-based Sam ended up twice in my personal chart’s Top 10 with “Learn To Wait” and “When You Left Me”. 

Sam’s upcoming EP, From The Glass House: Part One, is again equipped with both fine ballads and dance-pop, but veers away from 80’s flavoured soul in favour of 00’s styled songs that could easily be played at pop radio.  So “Wild Sun” is the single released a month in advance of the album, and, with its chorus laced with effortless high notes, is the perfect lead-in to the album.  It’s about breaking away from a relationship and making a daring move to learn to heal and be free, even if it stings a bit.  In its video above, Sam brings the immediate expression of the song to life interspersed with scenes of a couple whose relationship is growing stale. 

There are also remixes, and the Handbag House radio edit (below), available through Spotify right now but not yet for purchase, is a club DJ’s delight.  “Wild Sun” becomes an equally uplifting but slamming house track with booming bass synths that will lift up any evening out.  This style totally embraces Sam’s voice and dance music fans need to check it out.

Pick up “Wild Sun” on iTunes and watch for the release of the remixes and From The Glass House: Part One next month!