Many of us first met him through his contribution to last year’s This Beat Is Poptronik! Volume One compilation “How It Feels To Be A Man” (which got to #7 on my personal chart). Latvian singer/DJ/producer/presenter/model Markus Riva is back with “Fire”. And you can think all things literal about that word. The songs seethes with anguish about a love gone wrong, and it will just pour out of loud club speakers as the dance unfolds. The video plays on this and comes off as intense but very watchable. The brooding vocals are Markus sounding his absolute gruffest. Look for this single on iTunes.
Two Toronto powerhouses – the noted DJ Delirious and comeback kid Joée are onto a good thing with their latest single “Control”. For one thing, Joée’s vocals are taken out of comfortable sunny freestyle zone and into edgy electronica, a fine follow up to the singer’s recent cover of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” which I wrote about a while ago. It’s great to have a familiar and always listenable voice match up with other fine talent, and “Control” should find a home in clubs and perhaps some success overseas with its Euro flavour. Get it on iTunes!
21 year old UK R&B/pop singer Sam Smith has a voice we will be hearing for years. He’s already been featured on UK #1 “La La La” by Naughty Boy and the much better “Latch” by Disclosure. While he’s currently on a limited USA tour, he dropped “Money On My Mind” last week from his upcoming EP Nirvana. And if the rest of his songs are like “Money”, it will indeed be Nirvana. Its appeal is instantaneous, snappy rhythm with a great lyric that allows Sam to tower over it all. All of the raves this year are correct. So “Money On My Mind” is indeed the first great song of 2014 that you can hear now. Mark it on your calendar – official release date is February 16, 2014.
Note that currently there does not appear to be a Soundcloud sharing function to create a player within WordPress documents. If I learn of one I will repost the song.
Think of this as your pre-Christmas present when you might be going to watch Dorothy in the tornado on the way to Oz. Its origins are actually in the 80s (by Urban Discharge featuring uncredited vocalist Heather Leigh-West), and it became a UK #1 single in 1998 mashed up with a sample of “Can You Feel It” by The Jacksons as “Feel It” by The Tamperer featuring Maya Days. And it was Ms Days who tweeted Angelica Salem’s rework of the classic “Drop A House On That Bitch” to me on the weekend. Score!! It’s got a dirty bassline with an appropriately fierce vocal by lovely 20 year old Connecticut native Angelica (who has appeared on a recent mixtape with Wyclef Jean), and I think that clubs should embrace it. For upcoming official release: Click! Click! Click! go the ruby slippers 😀
December certainly means Christmas and the holidays, but it also means developing and finalizing year end lists – is yours in progress?
The Top 10:
I knew after hearing Bright Light Bright Light’s “An Open Heart” (above), my last few charts of 2013 and my year end list would be shaken up a tad. Indeed, “An Open Heart” takes over at #1, the fastest riser on the chart up from #10, becoming Rod Thomas’ 4th chart-topper with one of his strongest songs both lyrically and melodically 🙂 Los Angeles – BLx2 is coming for you!!
It’s going to be a while before any song shakes “What’s Going On” by Monsieur Adi & A*M*E (below) out of second place, which also means that new arrival at #3 “Can’t Hold Back” by Anton Ewald will probably stay steady too!
Betty Who’s “Somebody Loves You” gets displaced but stays close at #4, while “I Have A Name” by Osvaldo Supino brings all of its fine, positive vibes into the Top 5 🙂
DATABOY’s “We Can’t Stop Summertime Sadness” mashup advances to #6, while mega dance epic from blog fave Simon Curtis “Do I Have To Dance” climbs to #7. Both are free downloads (see the chart for the links!).
It’s going to be near the top of my Best Of list for albums of the year… Travis Garland’s self-titled debut yields another Top 10er with “Easy” at #9.
Rising Up the Chart:
Boom! goes “Every Single Moment” by SIRPAUL (above) from his most enjoyable album Seventh Star, its best chart run yet as it soars 21-13.
Ryan Star’s new album is scheduled for release on January 14, and New Yorkers will be lucky enough to experience another album release concert. “Impossible”, from his EP Animals, moves up 18-15.
Jarell Perry’s EP White is on deck soon and he keeps on offering out new songs for free download, such as a cover of Lupe Fiasco’s “Paris, Tokyo” which has a breathtaking vocal. His absolutely lovely and sad (and free for download) “4th of July” climbs 20-16. Both songs are below for your listening and downloading pleasure.
Martin Garrix’s “Animals” got a week in at #1 on the UK Singles chart and it resides at #2 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart. This innovative instrumental by this 17 year old Dutchman rises 24-18 .
“Gold” by British singer Eurielle is one of the most unique singles of 2013, marrying styles by the likes of Enya, Loreena McKennitt and Enigma for an enchanting effect. It’s being played onD-Moos National Internet Radio (to which I contribute artist profiles and voiceovers) here in Canada, and climbs 26-19.
Carlos Nóbrega’s “Breathe Me” (above) reached the Top 5 on Hypem’s chart this past weekend, and this beautiful cover of Sia’s song moves up 28-21.
“Keep Me Running” by NYC trio Andy Suzuki & The Method jumps 27-22 as their new video, the title track to their album Born Out Of Mischief, has surfaced with some heartwarming scenes of Andy as a child with his family. Both videos are below 🙂
It’s clever 80’s retro dance at its best – “I Can’t Help It” by Dangerous Muse, from This Beat Is Poptronik!… Volume Two, rises 29-23.
Debuts:
Having the next two songs back-to-back on the chart was not planned or realized until after the chart was made 😛
The original got to #12 on my chart in early 2012, and probably would have gone higher had it not been the last single release from Born This Way. But “Marry The Night” is back thanks to a superlative performance on “Glee” by Adam Lambert. I think we’re all just waiting for new Lambert music anyway, so this fills the gap nicely. It bows at #24 and to me is one of the best-ever performances from the show (no songs from the show have previously appeared on my chart).
Lady GaGa’s next single “Do What U Want”, with R. Kelly, is just fine, thank you very much, as is the ARTPOP album overall. Despite some forays into true disaster, the better songs out weigh the others, though the album is much stronger in melody to me than in words. “Do What U Want” premieres at #25. It’s R. Kelly’s first appearance on my chart since 2004, as a featured artist on Cassidy’s “Hotel”. He’s hit the Top 10 once, in 1999 with Keith Murray on “Home Alone” (#7).
It’s blowing up from a special feature in this blog to a radio and video hit. Torontonian Corey Niles arrives at #28 with “Rollercoaster” (featuring Dru), and this is the kind of slick, fun R&B/Hip Hop that doesn’t go unrecognized. Check out the “Making Of” video as well.
Listen to the songs or watch the videos using the links on the pictures on the pretty and details web edition of my chart.
Here’s the full BILLCS Top 30
10 01 AN OPEN HEART Bright Light Bright Light 02 02 WHAT’S GOING ON Monsieur Adi featuring A*M*E 05 03 CAN’T HOLD BACK Anton Ewald 03 04 SOMEBODY LOVES YOU Betty Who 06 05 I HAVE A NAME Osvaldo Supino 07 06 WE CAN’T STOP SUMMERTIME SADNESS DATABOY 09 07 DO I HAVE TO DANCE Simon Curtis 01 08 ADORN Miguel featuring Jessie Ware 12 09 EASY Travis Garland 04 10 APPLAUSE Lady GaGa 13 11 JULIET Lawson 14 12 BERLIN WALL Simon Curtis 21 13 EVERY SINGLE MOMENT SIRPAUL 08 14 HEADHUNTER Parralox 18 15 IMPOSSIBLE Ryan Star 20 16 4TH OF JULY Jarell Perry 11 17 MA RADIO Osvaldo Supino 24 18 ANIMALS Martin Garrix 26 19 GOLD Eurielle 15 20 REWIND Neverest 28 21 BREATHE ME Carlos Nóbrega 27 22 KEEP ME RUNNING Andy Suzuki & The Method 29 23 I CAN’T HELP IT Dangerous Muse New 24 MARRY THE NIGHT Glee Cast featuring Adam Lambert New 25 DO WHAT U WANT Lady Gaga featuring R. Kelly 16 26 AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME Ryan Adamés 22 27 BLACK LIGHT (Stormby remix) Kaden New 28 ROLLERCOASTER Corey Niles featuring Dru 17 29 LOVE IS A BOURGEOIS CONSTRUCT Pet Shop Boys 19 30 REPLAY Zendaya
After some delays, the long-awaited video to slamming new Canadian R&B/Hip Hop singer Corey Niles’ “Rollercoaster” dropped yesterday. And as I wrote about a month ago (you’ll have to scroll down the page), there is more to Canada in this style than Drake, for even in its video “Rollercoaster” doesn’t stop with the party. Noooo… situated in one endless-looking room, Corey and featured artist Dru set up the room (sort of…), invite some ladies in, and then a few, well, unexpected things start happening. But it doesn’t phase the guys one bit, as you will see. Now that the video is here, look for “Rollercoaster” and Corey Niles (the songwriter of “Rewind” by Neverest, a recent #1 on my personal chart) to start making a lot more noise just in time for holiday parties 🙂
SIMIAN GHOST, “A Million Shining Colours” (Trailer)
Just when you think that the year end of 2013 might have run out of great new music to anticipate. Along comes the highly praised Swedish trio Simian Ghost with new music that seems to have its heart set right in the middle of the 1980’s, at least for their upcoming “A Million Shining Colours”, which arrives in December, and you can preview it below. But to whet your ears a little more, they have covered the David Bowie song from his 1977 album Low, “Be My Wife” (also below) – and makes you forget that this was supposed to be his reconciliation song with then-wife Angie. Familiar and innovative all the same, I’m looking forward to hearing more by Simian Ghost.
Over the last month or so, nary a week seems to go by without me writing something about Bright Light Bright Light. So the EP In Your Care saw release yesterday on iTunes everywhere, and you all should go and snatch it up immediately! Another of the beautiful songs within has already been previewed a while back, and now there’s the accompanying video to the title song. “In Your Care” is a poignant, softer song from Rod Thomas about knowing what you have to do that may take you away from the people you love, and what’s left behind is waiting for you and being nurtured. It’s funny I thought the song had a bit of a double meaning upon first listens but the video gives a loving, straight-forward interpretation, with Rod singing with that New York City (*sigh*) backdrop where I saw him in concert last month. The In Your Care EP is one of the year’s best delights!
I’ve been writing for close to two years now about the amazing alternative electronica pop/rock music released independently by Toronto’s River Tiber, which is a live, functioning, and very tight band, but otherwise a studio project for ace multi-talent Tommy Paxton-Beesley. A review of “The City” by SPIN Magazine this past summer signals some great things about to happen. So on deck tomorrow on iTunes we have a new EP focusing around “The Star Falls”, a song from the earlier Synapses free album release (now pulled off the market I’m afraid – some things you’ve just gotta get when you have the chance – but I think a re-release is in store 😀 ). Watch the video below which was released earlier this year. The EP will feature two unreleased songs, “California” and “North”, which naturally is very appealing to me 🙂 as well as “The City” and “What Are You Afraid Of”, also both previously on Synapses.
Also focusing on the diversity of the music of River Tiber, Tommy’s pal DJ/producer Kwik Fiks has transformed “The City” from being a mini-odyssey lost in the beauty of a big city, and into a seriously catchy and house-y club affair. Dance mavens and DJ’s will love this one as it stands out well on its own without taking anything away from the original. Big bonus: Download it for free below.
And I won’t finish up here without posting the stunning video for “The City” which captures the essence of the song. “The City” was #1 for a month on my personal chart this past February.
River Tiber plays a release party for The Star Falls on Thursday, November 21 at the Drake Hotel in Toronto.
Like me, many of you know Oklahoma singer Graham Colton from his deliriously happy 2008 hit “Best Days”, one of my personal faves that year, which gave him lots of exposure and attention as a sought after new performer, having had a 5 year career that started a few years earlier with The Graham Colton Band. After leaving his major record label a few years later, Graham released a number of independent records, with 2010’s Pacific Coast Eyes garnering the most attention. But different flavours of music were brewing underneath, and now we have a new and still indie single called “Born To Raise Hell” that’s a light year or two away from “Best Days”. And by gar, it works, a really short cinematic song with just enough creepiness in the atmosphere and vocal to make you shiver a bit. I’d love to see it used in any one of the latest TV horror/fantasy shows. But it does have its own video, which has a more psychological bent to it, based on a true story, about how one child’s life for a while seems to circle around that of serial killer Richard Speck, without ever meeting. So watch the video and brace yourself mentally, or think of your own scenario and keep an even keel. “Born To Raise Hell” is afree downloadfrom Graham’s 2014 album release Lonely Ones. Very well done!
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