Love is a battle worth keeping in @missMollyMoore’s “Peace Of My Heart”

MOLLY MOORE, “Peace Of My Heart”

L.A.-based singer/songwriter Molly Moore continues to breakout with pensive and sometimes edgy alt.rock tunes, and her latest is “Peace Of My Heart”, co-written with beau Brandyn Burnette.  So you find yourself constantly entrenched in disagreements in your relationship but keep overlooking the root of why you’re together – that you love and trust each other.  And as long as you keep coming back and finding that and appreciating it with all of your heart, you’ll find peace in love.  Or at least, that’s what I think 🙂 Molly convincingly embodies the lyrics with her strong and committed vocal.  Because of those vocal chops and her songwriting skills and current partnership, Molly is not to be labelled as an alt.rock.chick but as a versatile performer whose songs reach out and don’t let go.  Pick up “Peace Of My Heart” on iTunes.

Can’t keep a good pop song down! @iamtheELEPHANTE kicks up a dance storm with @weareMako’s “Smoke Filled Room”

MAKO, “Smoke Filled Room” (Elephante remix)

I hate to see great songs escape out from underneath us and fall off the radar.  Sometimes remixes can bring new interest and flavour to a record, and reknown remixer/producer Elephante (Jack Ü/Justin Bieber, The Magician/Years & Years, among many) has done exactly that with L.A. duo Mako’s engaging “Smoke Filled Room”.  It starts deceptively with slow piano chords, which play into winning lyrics and melody that complement the vocals, which remind me sometimes of The Fray’s Isaac Slade.  It has radio hit written all over it with a gritty, emotional side that will turn heads.  Elephante amplifies the emotion and intensifies the song by making the chorus much more frenetic than in the original mix.  It will have you bouncing in bliss long after dark.  Mako’s “Smoke Filled Room” is a gem waiting to be found, so pick it up on iTunes.  You can download Elephante’s remix for free below by clicking the link to follow him and Mako on Instagram.

#LestWeForget @TrevorGuthrie remembers with the acoustic “Strong Hands”

TREVOR GUTHRIE, “Strong Hands”

Ex-soulDecision singer/guitarist Trevor Guthrie has been riding on a crazy EDM music tip lately thanks to an appearance on Armin van Buuren’s the Grammy-nominated 2013 hit “This Is What It Feels Like”, followed up with Trevor’s own solo dance hits, Juno Awards nominee “Soundwave” and the recent “Summertime”.  He takes a step over to the acoustic side with “Strong Hands”.  Although I think I recall hearing snippets of this song on Trevor’s MySpace page back in the day, he has now connected it with Wounded Warriors Canada as a tribute to our soldiers in time for Remembrance Day.  It’s a very fitting and moving song in that regard.  While we can never forget those who endured more than what we can ever imagine in the World Wars, we also cannot forget those currently serving their countries overseas in life-threatening situations.  Trevor’s recognizable voice and the spirit of this song make it all work.  Pick it up on iTunes.  All proceeds go to Wounded Warriors Canada.

80s style synthpop comes alive with “Washout” by @MaybtheMoon (free DL)

MAYBE THE MOON, “Washout” (free download)

There’s Walk The Moon and Walk Off The Moon but out of the three, only Maybe The Moon captures an 80’s synthpop vibe and makes it come alive all over again.  San Franciscan duo Karmen and Alex both play keyboards, while Karmen sings lead and Alex also plays guitar.  The rhythm is Hall & Oates’ “Out Of Touch”, the style is Laura Branigan meets Simple Minds.  “Washout” has a beautiful, flowing melody and original vocal that make it standout.  I think Maybe The Moon could fare very well in dance club play land along with some remixes.  Download “Washout” using the link above.

L.A. producers/remixers @TwoFriendsmusic reinvent @Blink182’s “I Miss You” for dance clubs (free DL)

https://soundcloud.com/two-friends/blink-182-i-miss-you-two-friends-remix

BLINK-182, “I Miss You” (Two Friends remix) (free download)

Purists of this alt.rock classic might be slightly aghast at the thought, but L.A. producers/remixers Two Friends have managed to reinvent Blink-182’s 2004 hit “I Miss You” for dance clubs while being reverent to the punkish emotional attitude of the original ballad.  The switch from ballad to dance raveup may seem a bit jarring but club goers will certainly connect with it.  Not only that, but Two Friends (best friends Eli and Matt) turn it into a feel-good reminiscence without throwing too many bells and whistles into the mix, instead revolving their EDM flavours around the simple repeated guitar riff.  In this early part of their career, Two Friends have already worked with the likes of Krewella and The Chainsmokers, and with remixes like “I Miss You” they should continue to build on these connections towards many more interesting and club-worthy remixes.  Download it for free at the link above.

@CarlosdNobrega puts his own unique spins into @JohnLegend’s “All Of Me” (free DL)

CARLOS NOBREGA, “All Of Me” (free download)

It’s hard sometimes to write about a cover of a song that has been recorded to death, but fortunately John Legend’s “All Of Me” is timeless and when the right voice invests in it, then the rendition works well.  Such is the case with Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega, who has released his cover as part of a free download collection called Songs I Wish I Wrote (Piano Sessions).  This of course is in anticipation of Carlos’ long-awaited album, which I expect will be much more of a rousing dance party 🙂  You can’t really stray too much from the original of a song like “All Of Me” or it won’t work.  The key here is Carlos’ emotional vocal.  This talented singer and actor is a lover, not a fighter, and he puts a few beautiful vocal spins into the mix to make his own interpretation stand out.  Download it for free at the link above, along with the accompanying and equally lovely covers of Sia’s “Breathe Me” and A Great Big World’s “Say Something”.

Part 2 of Previews from @BrandynBurnette’s upcoming Made of Dreams EP: “Nothing At All”

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

BRANDYN BURNETTE, “Nothing At All”

With the Made Of Dreams EP set to drop next Friday, November 13, Brandyn Burnette has given us another diverse and compelling song called “Nothing At All”.  This one draws on influences from ages old soul and folk, and mixes it up with contemporary twists that would not be out of place on records by The Weeknd or Drake.  Like “I Wanna Be (Free)”, “Nothing At All” keeps your attention throughout with a similar lazy vibe as backdrop, augmented by different effects, and sincere but direct lyrics that insist on commitment.   “Nothing At All” is in short a solid, innovative song, and Brandyn is definitely comfortable in finding an alternative soul style without having to drop current radio-style pop flavours into the mix.  Also like “I Wanna Be (Free)”, you can listen to “Nothing At All” over and over again and find something new every time.  Can’t wait to hear the rest of Made Of Dreams!

#BILLCSTop30 – #469 – November 2, 2015

The Top 10 is log-jammed with fine songs and new peak positions, but some will need to give way within the next few weeks to make room for all of the newcomers on the rise.  The highest debut has undoubtedly got #1 to contend with, while the other three have enormous potential and debut a little lower than usual because of the songs with which they are currently competing.

The Top 10

  • River Tiber’s “Let You Go” has a comfortable lock on #1 – for now – despite the incredible activity below.  The song’s stellar performance and rich, soulful vibe help define it!  Other songs from the EP When The Time Is Right are also sinking in, such as “Waves”.

  • It’s been a steady pace for songs that are totally different but have been bookends these past few weeks.  Continue to dance your a** off to “Let You Go” by The Chainsmokers & Great Good Fine OK, which arrives at #2, while the beautiful and thoughtful “Pain Told Love” by Tribe Society & Kiesza moves up to #3 (ironically where Tribe Society’s predecessor band Gentlemen Hall peaked in 2013 with “Sail Into The Sun”).

  • And here’s Brooklyn’s Great Good Fine OK again in the Top 5 in a great pairing with St. Lucia on “Something To Believe In”, which climbs to #4.

  • I was very early on “The Other Boys” by NERVO featuring Kylie Minogue, Jake Shears, and Nile Rodgers.  It holds at #5 here but in better news has reached #1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart.  I like it when my ears ring early on a song and this happens 🙂  Watch the new video above!

  • Brandyn Burnette’s enduring “I Wanna Be (Free)” leaves the chart after a mandatory 10 appearances (20 weeks), but until his new Made Of Dreams EP (which I will continue to preview) arrives in two weeks, the heartfelt “Life’s A Beach” will keep your attention at #9.  It’s available for free from Brandyn’s website from his mixtape called The Bright Side.

  • Can you say Food Fight? 😛 The second new entry to the top 10 is the rollicking “Cake By The Ocean” by DNCE, led by one Joe Jonas.  It soars 17-10.  Pleased to say I got a ticket to their Toronto show on November 18 🙂 “Cake” is culled from the new EP Swaay.

Movin’ on Up

  • It’s Koma Koma time!  Now a Top 10 Billboard Dance Club Play hit – I’m another early adopter on this one too! – “So F**kin’ Romantic” by Matthew Koma continues to climb up to #11.

  • And three places below, we find talented Matthew again, in a pairing with talented production duo The Knocks, with the rhythmic and dreamy “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)”.  It’s the fastest riser on the chart, charging up 24-14.

  • Toronto singer Diego Gomes has a new EP called The Beginning due this month.  Until this new music arrives, we have the chipper and winning single “Bow Tie”, which climbs 21-17.

  • New Order is definitely on a roll with new single “Plastic”, which I anticipate will arrive on international dance charts very soon.  It moves up 25-19.  The enduring band has charted four times on this chart since its inception in 1998 – “Crystal” got to #2 in 2001, followed by Get Ready album tracks “Rock The Shack” (#12) and “Turn My Way” (#16), and then “Krafty” reached #5 in 2005.

  • Marianas Trench’s latest album Astoria is now on release and “One Love” is a delightful change of pace for them, recalling the diversity of 2009’s similarly conceptual Masterpiece Theatre.  “One Love” climbs 23-20.

Those 4 Debuts

  • It should be no surprise that “Hello” by Adele is at the top of the debuts, crashing in at #15 with #1 high on its radar.  Adele’s pristine vocal leads a song that anyone can identify with and should garner her a Grammy.  This bodes extremely well for the upcoming album called 25.  This is one song that will continue to sound grand over and over again.

  • At #25 is the bitter but danceable “Over” by Chicago-based EDM performer Goldhouse, which I wrote about not long ago.  You’re guaranteed to be singing this one after one listen!  Pick up the “Over” EP on iTunes.

  • At #26, is a song that I think is a perfect companion to Adele’s “Hello”.  “The Voice” contestant Clinton Washington will make you swoon with his soaring vocal on his independent release “Hearts Beat Loud”.

  • The last debut at #27 is from an EP that I’m enjoying a whole lot.  I was fortunate to see MAX (Schneider) recently in concert, and he’s a ball of energy who is extremely well-connected with his fans, even jumping into the audience to perform in the centre of the crowd.  The title track from his EP Ms Anonymous also features a nice break by talented rapper Jared Evan.

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

@Reigenmusic marches to the beat of his own drum with the equality anthem “Real New Yorker”

REIGEN, “Real New Yorker” (free download)

Versatile New York vocalist Reigen returns with an anthem that will touch you deep down inside as it does me called “Real New Yorker”.  I worked in the equity field for a number of my early years with my company so the spirit of all forms of equality is embedded inside.  “Real New Yorker” gets right in your face and between your ears, exactly what it should do to command immediate reaction with its chorus “the future is now”.  There’s a bit of charming synth work at the beginning that sounds like it might burst into “The Neverending Story” 😉 and helps to set the stage brightly for what’s to come.  Reigen’s vocal is committed and appropriately unrelenting. “Real New Yorker” is quite unlike the soulful EDM ballad “Come Back To Me” that reached #2 on my chart earlier this year.  Reigen is a powerful, honest new voice and with songs like “Real New Yorker” I can only foresee great things for him and his music in 2016.  Download “Real New Yorker” for free below #thefutureisnow 🙂

https://soundcloud.com/reigen/real-new-yorker

For #Halloween 2015: @KSHMRmusic & @Bassjackers feat. @Sirah with “Memories” and a @Snowmassbeats remix

KSHMR & BASSJACKERS featuring SIRAH, “Memories”

“Memories” is a pretty fierce dance club track lead by a powerful and urgent vocal by Sirah, who you recently heard on MAX (Schneider)’s EP Ms Anonymous, and of course is most noted for vocals on the Grammy-winning “Bangarang” by Skrillex.  American DJ/producer KSHMR and Dutch comrades Bassjackers have created a haunting and propulsive song that doesn’t let up till it’s done.  Then US futuristic dub remixer Snowmass takes the song many steps in a different direction (below) with ultra-creepy vocal effects that are just perfect for Hallowe’en or a late dark night.  Play this remix LOUD.

https://soundcloud.com/snowmass/kshmr-bassjackers-ft-sirah-memories-snowmass-remix