BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

It’s All Italian… Yes It Is: New EP Mi Senti by @RoisinMurphy

ROISIN MURPHY, Mi Senti (EP)

One of the most unique projects of the year thus far, for those of you who don’t mind hearing music in another language, is Mi Senti, a six song EP of songs sung in Italian by none other than Róisín Murphy. Being married to an Italian I’m sure must have been an impetus for tackling songs in that language, but she apparently has been fascinated by it for a long time. The result is a lovely, moody, mainly chilled out and occasionally danceable release that will certainly please fans of the singer. Róisín is at her best and immersed in the songs, which, if you speak another language, you know is very hard to do. The best ones here are the opener “Ancora Ancora Ancora”, the laid back disco of “Ancora Tu”, and the mysterious cabaret-flavoured “Non Credere”. Open your ears folks and give a listen to the entire EP below. It’s available on iTunes on May 28. Give this terrific article a read for more background.

The Power of Understatement: “Oh So Simple” by @IAmJakeBarker

JAKE BARKER, “Oh So Simple”

When I wrote about his splendid cover of Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” a month ago, I promised to keep you all informed on what was next for “The Voice” contestant Jake Barker. So with the finale of this season’s show last night and some marvelous performances – including Jake performing with Christina Grimmie, Bria Kelly, and Tess Boyer on a warm rendition of Lorde’s “Team” – Jake immediately unleashed the video for his song “Oh So Simple”. The power of having a song that some people might think is understated is its ability to stay in your memory long after you hear it. Jake’s sweet voice rivals Robin Thicke (say on his “Lost Without U”) or John Legend, and I’m not using those names lightly, I think Jake could easily get into the big leagues with a start like “Oh So Simple”. The video is laid back and supports the easy going stage presence of the singer. Keep your eyes on your iTunes as it will be out soon along with Jake’s debut EP Stage Fright. Jake Barker is one of 2014’s new, amazing talents to watch!!

PS – If the song title is screaming song lyrics of the past to you, then you may be thinking of Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were”. But I think it was Gladys Knight that sang “oh so simple” in her rendition instead of “all so simple” in Streisand’s version.

It’ll Haunt You: “Miracle” by @EMuteMusic

E-MUTE, “Miracle”

“Miracle” is one of those songs I’ve been listening to a lot over the last while, but not sure what to write about it! In any case, the more I listened, the more the song’s haunting melody will stay with you as it did me. E-Mute is the alias for London-based Theo Mak, who is not only the singer/songwriter, but also the drummer and pianist. And it’s those instruments that are in the forefront, with the drumming mixing it up over the gorgeously repetitious classical piano melody. Layered on top is E-Mute’s passionate, almost anguished vocal. It’s a dialogue to whatever higher power exists out there – almost in the same way as was “You Found Me” by The Fray – about making your life worth living and then seeking redemption later. Agree? Disagree? A great conversation piece 😉 E-Mute is heavily influenced by Nirvana (as you will see what he’s wearing in the video above) and the inspiration is clearly 90’s alternative rock. But blending that with his own talents, and you have one powerful and unique song, with a provocative message and compelling vocal. Get “Miracle” on iTunes, from the EP Too Proud To Say Loud.

BILLCS Top 30 #431 – May 19/14

The new chart is positively shaking! So much activity – a new #1, and 7 debuts smash onto the chart! And because of the latter I’ll be skipping over some songs that are making headway, and we’ll catch up with them in two weeks.

The Top 10

Yes, it’s 18 year old Martin Garrix who has scored his second consecutive #1 with the free download “Proxy”, following the so-amazing success of “Animals”. And there always seems to be Martin Garrix news to report on every few weeks. The latest is collaboration with Sander van Doorn and DVBBS featuring vocalist Aleesia on “Gold Skies”. The new song is a mix between Tegan & Sara’s “Closer” and Zedd & Foxes’ “Clarity”, and the video is day in the life of couple on a road trip. Could be a summer sleeper!

Adam Tyler has a personal best this week as “Electric Valentine” climbs to #3. His deluxe edition of his album Shattered Ice, featuring new songs and reduxes of songs from the album, plus last year’s “Fade Into The Light” and of course “Electric Valentine”, will be available on June 10. You can stream the new songs at the link below, and I draw your attention to a really infectious piece of business called “Criminal”, which will have you singing along and humming to a melody which is a bit of a throwback to the 80’s.

https://soundcloud.com/adamtylermusic/sets/shattered-ice-deluxe-edition

Happy 22nd Birthday to Sam Smith, who has three entries on the chart, two of which are on the rise – “Stay With Me” rises to #4, and “Not In That Way” is up to #11.

Rixton is turning out to be the pop flavour of May with “Me And My Broken Heart” now heard everywhere, and up to #5 on my chart!
“Love Space” continues on the rise for Convulsic at #6, while “The Day You Left” is also on fire at #12!

They were all destined for the Top 10 and arrive this week: “Fall Into Love” by Wrathschild at #8, FrankMusik’s “Dear Nicole” at #9, and “I Wish We Were Leaving” by Bright Light Bright Light & Elton John at #10. New videos are in the works for both FrankMusik (“Stabilizher”) and Wrathschild, while Bright Light x2’s sophomore album Life Is Easy is on deck for July 7.

The Fastest Risers

Last week’s debut by DVBBS & MOTi “This Is Dirty” is the one to watch as it climbs 23-16.

Right behind is Andy Grammer’s heart-tugger “Back Home”, moving up 22-17.

And Now, On To Those Debuts

I’ve written about them all, so their arrival on my chart proves they have staying power, and then some!

Most noteworthy is Tristan Thompson’s “Tidal Wave” from the Canadian singer’s debut album Here For You. Check out the rich, soulful style… and he’s only 15! It’s kind of appropriate (and totally unintentional) that “Tidal Wave” makes a huge bow at #15 🙂 Stream Tristan’s entire album including “Tidal Wave” right here.

I’ve been having such a good time with Jason Walker’s cover of Taylor Dayne’s “Tell It To My Heart” (featuring Bimbo Jones) that the club hit blasts on to my chart at #20!

It’s not really readily available, but since it’s released somewhere, the explosive “Electrify The Night” by House Rockerz, Davis Redfield and UK singer Carl Man charges on to the chart at #22. I’ve put the song on my Soundcloud site for now so you can hear it (hopefully it doesn’t get taken down) 🙂

One of the most inventive songs around with a contagious melody is “Good News (For People Who Love Bad News)” by Zorro Blakk (aka Daniel Volpe) featuring Deniz Oliveiri, which arrives at #25, from Zorro’s debut album The Fairy Tale Of Zorro Blakk.

Though I’ve been listening to SIRPAUL’s “Black Leather” for quite a while now, the arrival of its NSFW and limit-testing video in support of this latest single from the singer’s Seventh Star album sends it on to the chart at #28. WARNING: Uncensored version – discretion advised!

Pop Psychology by Neon Trees is one of the year’s best surprises for me in terms of a straight forward, well done pop album that still retains its alt.rock roots. I’m going off the beaten path though and the song that lands on my chart is “Teenager In Love” at #29.

Kongos’ diverse sound with South African roots has won me over with their rock album Lunatic, and the bass-laden “Hey I Don’t Know” debuts at #30.

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.

02 01 PROXY Martin Garrix
01 02 LATCH Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
04 03 ELECTRIC VALENTINE Adam Tyler
06 04 STAY WITH ME Sam Smith
09 05 ME AND MY BROKEN HEART Rixton
07 06 LOVE SPACE Convulsic
03 07 CANNONBALL (EARTHQUAKE) Showtek & Justin Prime featuring Matthew Koma
11 08 FALL INTO LOVE Wrathschild
13 09 DEAR NICOLE FrankMusik
12 10 I WISH WE WERE LEAVING Bright Light Bright Light & Elton John
15 11 NOT IN THAT WAY Sam Smith
17 12 THE DAY YOU LEFT Convulsic
05 13 FINEST CLOTHES IN TOWN Nick Hagelin
16 14 SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT 5 Seconds Of Summer
New 15 TIDAL WAVE Tristan Thompson
23 16 THIS IS DIRTY DVBBS & MOTi
22 17 BACK HOME Andy Grammer
08 18 FIND YOU Zedd featuring Matthew Koma & Miriam Bryant
10 19 BACK TO CALIFORNIA Steve Grand
New 20 TELL IT TO MY HEART Jason Walker featuring Bimbo Jones
25 21 BE MINE Kendal Thompson
New 22 ELECTRIFY THE NIGHT House Rockerz featuring Davis Redfield & Carl Man
14 23 MONEY ON MY MIND Sam Smith
18 24 HORNY Lonnie Gordon
New 25 GOOD NEWS (FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS) Zorro Blakk featuring Deniz Oliveiri
19 26 LOVE ME AGAIN John Newman
20 27 ADDICTED TO YOU Avicii featuring Audra Mae
New 28 BLACK LEATHER SIRPAUL
New 29 TEENAGER IN LOVE Neon Trees
New 30 HEY I DON’T KNOW Kongos

Invitation Please: “Somebody’s Party” EP by @ErikHassle

ERIK HASSLE, Somebody’s Party (EP)

25 year old Swedish singer (but now L.A. based) Erik Hassle has received a fair amount of acclaim for his unique takes on pop/dance music over the last few years. But it’s finally coming into its own with the release of his 6 song EP Somebody’s Party. This time he veers more in the direction of US and UK R&B, and that the opener “Pathetic” and closer title song could have been borne out of Prince’s Diamonds And Pearls era is a fantastic reference point. Throw in flashes of Terence Trent D’Arby, Drake, Coldplay, Usher, combined with 90’s inspired European/UK pop and you have songs that will keep you listening. Erik’s voice soars similarly to Sam Smith and James Blake at some times and it will be interesting to see if Erik and his songs fall into similar success now that he’s signed to RCA. Every song is extremely well done, with often blunt lyrics that will sink in after a few listens, and I’ll give a nod to two very different duets – “Talk About It” with US rapper Vic Mensa, and “Innocence Lost” featuring an aching streetwise pairing with US R&B singer Tinashe (video below). Somebody’s Party is a stellar complete package. It’s a major score for Erik Hassle that should open doors everywhere. Stream the entire album above and get it on iTunes.

Erik Hassle plays Toronto’s small Wrongbar in an already sold-out show on May 26 – he obviously needs a bigger venue!

@divaJasonWalker is Back and Killing It With “Tell It To My Heart”

JASON WALKER featuring BIMBO JONES, “Tell It To My Heart”

You all may know New York singer Jason Walker best for a little ditty called “Set It Free”, which glided all the way to #1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart in 2005. Jason’s had other songs do very well, but he’s back killing it (with UK DJ/remixers Bimbo Jones) with a cover of Taylor Dayne’s classic “Tell It To My Heart”. That I’m writing about a cover of that song says lots! This is a frenetic rave up that just won’t let up! Like Taylor’s original, the song requires a HUGE vocal and Jason absolutely takes no prisoners. It’s already Top 20 on the Dance Club Play chart and no wonder. It’s just plain gosh darned explosive! Get the 25 (!!) remix EP on iTunes (the Toy Armada & DJ Grind remix is particularly cool) and listen and dance to it in every shape and form possible 🙂 *out of breath*

@OsvaldoSupino … the Tease…

Would this hard-working Italian guy lie to you? 🙂

I can’t be too certain, though pictures tend to say many more words… in this case “Reset”….

All Anew: “Beginning Everyday” by @Naommon

NAOMMON, Beginning Everyday (EP)

“Beginning Everyday” is the fresh start you need to hear as the summer months approach. It’s one of those songs you want to hear on a beautiful sunny morning, even though you’ll know that there is a serious undercurrent to it. Its singer, Naommon, hails from France but is based out of London. He’s got a fine, restrained voice that shows off a lovely timbre on “Beginning Everyday”. Think of Sweden’s Darin with a slightly deeper voice, and a somewhat minimal sound that would go hand-in-hand with fellow French dance artist The Aikiu, who I wrote about not long ago. “Beginning Everyday” (video below) is a pleasant alterna-pop record that might just need an edit for radio play, being a little long at close to 5:00. Also included in its EP are five remixes. Australia’s Parralox comes off best, giving a gracious house-lite flavour to the song. The other remixes succeed in not blowing the song up into a dance anthem and capture its subtle qualities quite nicely. Beginning Everyday is available on iTunes. You might also check out Naommon’s cover of Blur’s “Girls And Boys” (also below), which trades in-yer-face middle-finger-salute sarcasm of the original and replaces it with a droll and contemporary disco cabaret rendition.

From Out Of Nowhere: @KongosMusic’s Album “Lunatic”

KONGOS, Lunatic

You’ve already heard the single “Come With Me Now” blasting out of car stereos, but aside from being one of those winning kind of hit songs, you probably don’t know anything about the group behind it, Kongos. Kongos is the last name of the four brothers in the band (Johnny, Jesse, Dylan and Daniel) and they are all sons of the South African singer John Kongos, who’s best known for his minor 1970 hit “He’s Gonna Step On You Again”. The brothers grew up in both South Africa and England, and their sound is heavily influenced by their father’s homeland.

The band’s diverse sound stems from classic rock, late 70’s punk like Elvis Costello, as well as traditional South African elements which you can hear through the accordion and the odd Umbaqanga rhythms. It’s not like Paul Simon’s Graceland or Ladysmith Black Mambazo thank goodness; Lunatic is best when it rocks out. I love the deep bassy rhythm of “Hey I Don’t Know” (below) and the Reggae influence on “I Want To Know” is infectious. You can hear that Umbaqanga rhythm (best exemplified by Johnny Clegg’s bands Juluka and Savuka) on “Sex On The Radio”. “It’s A Good Life” is a standout because it sounds like a natural follow up to “Come With Me Now” without sounding like anything else within Lunatic. This is a tight band of brothers who know their stuff and produced a record that took a long time before a major record label (Epic) re-released it earlier this year.

So now that you know more about the brothers Kongos, you will not be hearing the last of them. They just played my city and I’m sure will be back again. No one hit wonders these guys!

Dancing Shoes On? Give Thanks to the EDM “Music Gods” by Davis Redfield & @CarlManMusic

DAVIS REDFIELD featuring CARL MAN, “Music Gods”

HOUSE ROCKERZ featuring DAVIS REDFIELD & CARL MAN, “Electrify The Night”

You’ll recall both of these gents from blog posts written during the last year, German DJ/producer Davis Redfield from his “A World Apart” glory on my personal chart (peaked at #4), and Carl Man from a blog post I wrote about a previous single last Fall. Davis’ energetic and relentless EDM style suits Carl’s voice to a ‘T’ (or perhaps to a ‘C’ 😉 ) on “Music Gods”. It’s a cut way above the rest of a lot of Europop out there!

Even more fab is Davis Redfield and Carl Man’s collaboration with House Rockerz on the blistering “Electrify The Night”, which so far in my research only appears available on a European dance compilation. But the songs are from the same songwriting pedigree (Charlie Mason and ever-so-reliable team, also responsible for “A World Apart”), which makes “Music Gods” and “Electrify The Night” two of a perfect pair. “Electrify The Night” though has the potential to be one of those dance floor anthems that you will hear forever more!

The dance floor will compel you to give in and flourish under the multi-coloured disco lights, allowing the “Music Gods” to accomplish their mission – trippy, emotion-draining bliss that will indeed electrify your night 🙂

You can buy both songs on iTunes. Watch the lyrics video for “Music Gods” above and you can hear a sample of “Electrify The Night” right here.