BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

A Deserving #Eurovision2015 winner: “Heroes” by @MansZelmerlow

MANS ZELMERLOW, “Heroes”

The votes came in loud and clear last night as “Heroes” by Sweden’s 28 year old Måns Zelmerlöw overwhelmingly won the Eurovision 2015 prize. Also Sweden’s Melodifestivalen winner, “Heroes” features a thoughtful, compelling vocal from the singer that in performance is supported by a unique animated sequence that lends beautifully to the lyrics. I’m not sure if North American audiences will find the song too off-the-beaten-path, but I’m sure it will also be all over European charts after peaking at #2 in Sweden. Watch both the original video and the Eurovision final performance above. “Heroes” will be included on Måns’ upcoming album Perfectly Damaged (artwork below), due June 5. Also, read what I had to say about Måns back at the end of 2009 when I identified him as a performer to watch 🙂 https://billcsistunedon.wordpress.com/2010/01/02/10in2010/

@EricSaademusic continues to pave a new path with “Girl From Sweden”

ERIC SAADE, “Girl From Sweden”

I was curious to find out what would arrive next from Swedish star Eric Saade after the rollicking Melodifestivalen entry “Sting” (currently #5 on my chart). That song is more pop/rock oriented and in your face than other tunes from the talented singer. So it’s fitting that he turns to indulge in a song directed to his own country. “Girl From Sweden” is a catchy piece of hip hop-influenced business that will be a real crowd-pleaser, and I want his record company to resist the temptation to include a featured artist in a remix, let Eric own this one himself! I will definitely direct fans of Maroon 5 to this one. And the video is one of Eric’s best as the singer abandons bike, jacket, and shoes out in the countryside in favour of a skateboard and boating activities – oh and there’s lots of dancing with pretty girls in the middle of nowhere. Along with “Sting”, “Girl From Sweden” is one of the best showcases in a while for Eric Saade. You can pick it up on iTunes.

@MissMollyMoore delivers the slick and dark “Don’t Believe It”

https://soundcloud.com/molly_moore/dont-believe-it

MOLLY MOORE, “Don’t Believe It”

Like her talented guy (and co-songwriter here) Brandyn Burnette, L.A. based singer Molly Moore is a hot commodity itching to break out, and the slick, dark “Don’t Believe It” could help pave the way. Like Lorde and Banks, Molly’s main feat in recording edgier songs than other women singers is to be utterly convincing. And that she is, supported by an arrangement that flows and taut production by co-songwriter Steve Dresser. I’ve written up some other comparisons of older singers to Molly, but this time she recalls none other than Carly Simon at times.

And just in time for “Don’t Believe It” to strike online comes a remix of Molly’s earlier “Natural Disaster” by Win and Woo, which is available as a free download right here. It might seem a bit odd to put a Caribbean kind of flavour to such a stark song, but the light EDM wash definitely gives the song a new vibe and it’s well worth checking out.

@dbClifford is back with new project @Phonixamadhi and “Away” and “Stole My Line”

PHONIXAMADHI, “Away” and “Stole My Line”

One of those chance online conversation with fellow music buffs evolved into this post about relatively new UK-based trio Phonixamadhi, who released a self-titled EP last year. This in fact is a project headed up by Canadian singer/songwriter dbClifford (along with fellow vocalist/multi-instrumentalist William Cartwright and drummer Arjun Magee), who is remembered fondly for a couple of domestic Top 40 2007/08 hits, “Simple Things” and “Don’t Wanna”, both of which did well in other international territories, especially Japan. Phonixamadhi has crafted a blend of dirty funk, jazz and pop, the combination of which often does not get served well by radio, since it doesn’t seem to ‘fit’, yet people go absolutely wild for it in a club setting. “Away” and “Stole My Line” are both polished slices of this mix, led by dbClifford’s sparkling voice. Check out the videos above and listen to the entire EP, available on iTunes, below on Phonixamadhi’s Soundcloud page.

BILLCS Top 30 #457 – May 18, 2015

The songs of Spring are so strong that on my chart there seems to be a never-ending queue of new songs that keep climbing and climbing – and then one week they crash to make room at the top. We’ll see if this trend continues in the coming weeks! But for now, on to the new chart:

The Top 10

Canadians Corey Niles and Alex Lacasse replace Years & Years’ “King” up top with their anthem “Chasing Stars”. If this song were on a major label, you’d hear it everywhere. So it’s important that if you like it that you pick it up on iTunes. One of my favourite songs of 2015 thus far, the melody, vocal arrangement, and lyrics are all on point!!

More contemporary Canadiana is on the rise with River Tiber back in the Top 3 for the first time in two years with “No Talk”, which as you recall was sampled in Drake’s “No Tellin'” from his latest album. I’m hoping Tommy Paxton-Beesley and his team will keep up the momentum with more new music to come this summer.

It’s been a hot while since Sweden’s Eric Saade was in the Top 5 on my chart (in fact it was in early 2012 with “Fingerprints”), so it’s pleasing to see the very different and brusque “Sting” advance to #5. It’s only the start of more adventure for the talented Eric!

It’s two charts in a row that “No Words” – by another Swedish Erik, this time Hassle – is the fastest riser on the chart! That bodes well for the coming weeks where there’s nothing truly obvious to succeed “Chasing Stars” at the top, so we’ll wait and see. The jaunty but sad “No Words” climbs 17-6 – and don’t forget to check out an unintended companion-piece in Years & Years’ “Shine” – they make a great mashup!

https://soundcloud.com/databoy/when-it-rains-it-pours

Austin duo DATABOY’s collaboration with producer Niko The Kid has waited patiently but breaks loose and climbs to #7 with “When It Rains, It Pours”. All of DATABOY’s entries on my chart – 10 of them since 2011 – have reached the Top 10 🙂

Australia’s Parralox is also 3 for 3 for Top 10 entries with the sublimely 80’s “Aeronaut” from the album of the same name, moving 13-9.

Not surprisingly, Years & Years rounds out the Top 10 with “Desire”. It’s hard not to sit still when this one’s playing.

Movin’ On Up

Just outside of the Top 10, after a triumphant Canadian Music Week performance, is Canadian R&B queen Jully Black with her single “Fever” at #11. I received a concert-only copy of “The LP”, which contains most of the songs she sang that night. And it’s a gem, so I hope most of the songs like “Here 2 Love U”, “Fool For You”, “On Your Side”, and especially “Don’t Keep Me Guessing” appear on her commercially-released album when it’s released this summer.

I wish pop radio would loosen the hell up and play CHIC’s “I’ll Be There”, but I guess Top 40 has no room for disco throwbacks. Nevertheless dance clubs have embraced it fully as has the alternative pop/dance crowd. Such a fun song, it climbs to #12.

Do yourself a favour and pick up one of the most enthusiastic album releases of the year on iTunes in Steve Grand’s All-American Boy. “We Are The Night” is one of the best songs, a rollicking rock anthem, and climbs to #15. This album clearly shows why Steve Grand is a pop artist at heart, whose style crosses over to both rock and country. It’s very 80’s in a lot of ways – and that of course was before Steve was born (1990)!

More attention also needs to be given to “Cosmonaut” by Wrathschild, aka Simon Curtis and Bad W0lfy. It’s a glorious, dreamy, slow nighttime EDM song that will stick in your head. It moves up to #16.

Charlie Puth continues back-to-back status from two weeks ago with his duet with Meghan Trainor, “Marvin Gaye”, advancing to #17, while his #1 duet with Wiz Khalifa, “See You Again”, climbs to #18. It will be interesting to see what dethrones “See You Again” at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

I’m probably gonna listen to Brandon Flowers’ new album The Desired Effect this week, particularly after all of the glowing comments I’ve read. The stunning lead off single “Can’t Deny My Love” rises to #20.

Lawson once again are touring the hell out of their home country, England, in advance of the release of their EP Roads. The title song, available in Canada as a single on iTunes, moves up to #21.

The middle of Spring here in Toronto needs a good shot of a Matt and Kim performance, which I will check out tomorrow (May 18) at the Danforth Music Hall. Their infectious and good-natured song “Hey Now” climbs to #22.

Debuts

Adam Lambert’s “Ghost Town” is one of the most unique songs out there right now, combining Adam’s vocal power with a heavily early-90’s influenced house rhythm that listeners say reminds them of Madonna’s “Vogue” – but check out Malcolm McLaren’s earlier “Deep In Vogue” too! It’s a great lead-in to the June release of his third album The Original High. It’s only Adam’s third appearance on my chart, but both “Better Than I Know Myself” and his “Glee” cover of Lady Gaga’s “Marry The Night” both got into the Top 10.

Giorgio Moroder is back with his album Deja Vu on deck in June, and the title song featuring vocalist Sia (her first appearance on this chart) lands on my chart at #27. It follows the first success from the album, his partnership with Kylie Minogue on “Right Here, Right Now”, which recently reached #4. Every time I hear “Deja Vu”, I hear Donna Summer’s “Dim All The Lights” poignantly ringing in Sia’s vocal midway – anyone else?

Their song “Waterfall” just peaked at #3, so Canadian quartet Smashing Satellites, led by the incomparable Salvatore Costa, wastes no time by debuting with “What It’s All About”. I’ve been saying since I wrote about it a while back – it’s the first graduation anthem of 2015. Listen to the moving lyrics and let the song inspire you! It’s a departure from “Waterfall” and other songs on the upcoming Sonic Aluzion album – but wait till you hear the jam “Us” (which I heard at one of their Canadian Music Week gigs)!!

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 🙂

Carrying On: “This” by @FrankMusik

FRANKMUSIK, “This”

It’s always a treat when a new FrankMusik song arrives, and after a frenetic couple of post-break-up years where Vince kept extraordinarily busy, releasing two fine, fine albums (Between and By Nicole) and then a brilliant acoustic version of the former and an instrumental version of the latter. Some regrouping was obviously in order so that a song like “This” could see the light of day. It’s an upbeat and resolute anthem about carrying on with all of the right supports in place. “This” is a very human kind of song, there’s a softer and emotional side to the lyrics – particularly the words ‘be still my trembling soul’ – which instills in you that the next FrankMusik album (which the singer has indicated will be called “Not Right Now”) will be FrankMusik in 3D. Can’t wait to hear what Vince has in store for us, he truly loves to share his craft with us. In the meantime, you can buy “This” on iTunes.

Do you have your list of “Songs I Can’t Listen To”? @NeonTrees understands!

NEON TREES, “Songs I Can’t Listen To”

So out of the blue came a new single by Neon Trees last week called “Songs I Can’t Listen To”. Like with their underrated Pop Psychology album of last year, the band has tapped into something every listener has – but has there ever been a song about it? It’s inspired pop thinking for the quartet, who are obviously still music fans at heart too, and they are playing an ‘intimate’ club tour of select U.S. dates starting in June. You can get “Songs I Can’t Listen To” on iTunes until the band is ready to drop more new music. Oh, and I hear drummer Elaine is with child – congrats! That baby’s gonna have great rhythm 😀

North America needs to fall in love with @YearsandYears with “Shine”

YEARS & YEARS, “Shine”

The music industry baffles me, for I do not yet understand why North America has not yet embraced ever-so-talented UK trio Years & Years like the rest of the world. “King” (currently #1 on my personal chart, and a UK #1 too) should have been all over everywhere, but alas not to be. So the more familiar “Shine” could do the trick. And after around the first minute, keen-eared music buffs will see many similarities to another current favourite of mine, “No Words” by Erik Hassle – the melodic structure allows both songs to be mashed up easily. Thematically, too, both songs are similar, sad sources set to an pbeat, memorable melody. And of course “Shine” has that remarkably diverse voice of Olly Alexander (who also collaborated on Clean Bandit’s latest “Stronger”) to its advantage. I think Years & Years needs to get to the rest of North America to perform, besides SXSW, NYC, and L.A., so that the rest of the continent can fall in love with “Shine” and its creators. “Shine” is culled from the upcoming album Communion, and is available on iTunes in Canada.

Dance To Diss: @BrightLightx2 & @MsAnaMatronic with “Good Luck” (remix)

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT & ANA MATRONIC, “Good Luck” (remix)

The music of Bright Light Bright Light is never too far away from a blog post, and I’m happy to hear that a remix album Life Is Hard is coming in June. To kick it off is “Good Luck”, a song from BLx2’s album Life Is Easy, which grew on me months after the album was released. It’s a pretty potent diss of a song that goes perfectly with the early 90’s house rhythm, and is dead on similar in theme to Basement Jaxx’s 2004 hit also called “Good Luck” (mashup, please?). For the remix album and the above new video – and who’d have thought of Rod Thomas as a boxer – well, perhaps metaphorically 😛 – Scissor Sisters’ Ana Matronic joins to inject an entertaining, welcome campy side to the song. Good on Rod and his team for giving “Good Luck” its own due showcase.

Shooting Star: Toronto’s @FrancescoYates with “Better To Be Loved”

FRANCESCO YATES, “Better To Be Loved”

From the beginning of the song, it tricks you into thinking that it might be a cover of “Billie Jean” or “Uptown Funk!”, and then the voice kicks in and this hybrid Justin Timberlake/Bruno Mars vocal by 19 year old Toronto singer Francesco Yates has you hook, line and sinker with “Better To Be Loved”. That’s not to say that either he or his song are derivative. This is an inspiring, invigorating pop/R&B song and talent that has got the attention of Pharrell Williams for a full album. And last week I got to see what the fuss was about with a performance in Toronto during Canadian Music Week that was energetic and completely captivating. Next stop the U.S. and the rest of the world for Canada’s latest talented export!

Your chance to see him! Francesco Yates plays the Virgin Mobile Mod Club in Toronto on Thursday, May 21.