Autumn Popervescence #1 featuring Girls Aloud, Rogue, Matthew Koma, Pip, Gentlemen Hall, Lawson, Alphabeat, Tao Hypah, and Ruby Rose

GIRLS ALOUD, “Something New”

It’s interesting that after the solo success of Cheryl Cole and the critical acclaim received by Nicola Roberts for her record that the English-Irish five have reunited for their 10th anniversary, with a new hits compilation called Ten on deck. But perhaps with some improvements to their vocals over the years along with some contemporary creativity, now is the time to reinvent Girls Aloud. And they’ve done just that with “Something New”, a plush-sounding house-influenced song (also, by the way, a charity single for Children In Need) that is pretty much irresistible, this coming from someone who has been hard to convince that these gals were more than just Spice Girls-lite. “Something New” puts all of those thoughts aside and North American attention should be more than forthcoming this time around. Kudos to the gals and their team for going big, hard and international this time!

ROGUE, “Girls Anthem”

You take a look at Girls Aloud nouvelles and then see another UK foursome called Rogue knocking on the same door, and you wonder what Rogue might sound like in 10 years. “Girls Anthem” is a great start because it comes on huge from the get-go, both with sound, vocals, and personality. And that’s pretty critical when this gal-pop sound can sound so similar from group to group. Watch below and be convinced.

MATTHEW KOMA, “Parachute”

In the guy-pop department, New York’s Matthew Koma has it made in spades. Outside of a number of Swedish male vocalists, Matthew is the go-to-guy for a captivating featured vocal on electronic dance songs like Zedd’s massive “Spectrum”, Fedde LeGrand’s “Sparks”, and Alesso’s “Years”. But that’s not enough, because aside from these rich productions, the music of Matthew Koma is rooted in pop, and “Parachute” is Major Pop 2012, a fantastic Fall love song that should be all over radio in the coming months. You can also get another delight as a free download from Matthew’s website called “Neon Red” when you subscribe to his mailing list. This is one singer headed for superstardom.

PIP, “Who Cares”

I’m quite convinced that while the TV show “The Voice” is a great showcase for new voices, too many singers get sabotaged by song choices that don’t focus on their real vocal appeal. I’m interested to see how this affects this season’s crew, but last year fine singers like Brian Fuente, Jamar Rogers, and Pip among others did not go perhaps as far as they should have. Pip (aka 20 year old Phillip Andrew Arnold from Georgia), he of the trademark white suspenders, bowtie, and sneakers, arrives with a soulful and punchy song with a smart lyrical video called “Who Cares”. It’s a real ear-opener for those who enjoyed his performances on “The Voice”, and perhaps the untied bowtie is a sign of some great and unexpected flavour to come.

LAWSON, “Standing In The Dark”

In these days of global accessibility to music, I just don’t understand the barriers with releasing music, at least in the western part of the hemisphere. So this week we see the long-awaited UK release of the album Chapman Square by UK quartet Lawson, who have already had significant success in the UK with “When She Was Mine” and “Taking Over Me”. But despite opening for The Wanted on some US dates earlier this year, Chapman Square does not appear slated for North American release. And while the band deserves high UK chart debuts, they don’t deserve the quick vanishing acts from the charts that might characterize them with an overly loyal fanbase like other UK acts such as McFly and Busted. “Standing In The Dark” is another refreshing slice of pop that shows that Lawson is a tight unit with a great way with words, and whose music has broad appeal, more like Graffiti6 or Lifehouse for example. Watch the video below.

GENTLEMEN HALL, “Golden Age”

Since catching Gentlemen Hall in concert earlier this year, they have become one of my most-played bands with their diverse harmonies, thoughtful lyrics, and astute musicianship. “Golden Age”, now available to hear on Soundcloud, joins “Makes Me Feel Alive” in whetting your appetite for the Boston sextet’s next release. This one has progressive rock trappings mixed with electronic pop, with lots of room for a flute solo/breakdown midway – a kind of out-of-nowhere mix of styles that truly draws you in and keeps you listening. Listen below and keep your eyes on their Soundcloud page for more new songs.  This song will be large and in charge in live performance.

ALPHABEAT, “Love Sea”

Danish electronic collective Alphabeat have been finding many fans since 2007, but to me their music seems to be coming into its own at last with the release of “Love Sea”, from their forthcoming third album Express Non-Stop. It’s a precious blast of happy pop to brighten up your Autumn, boosted by an entertaining travelogue of a video featuring many of my favourite places that I’ve visited over the years. “Love Sea” is also available for free download in various remixes by the likes of FrankMusik, Android Orchestra (a sunny “tropical” mix), and Sound Of Arrows, who tackle the songs in some quite unanticipated interpretations. Overall this is splendid pop deserving of international success.

TAO HYPAH, “Play The Girl”

Raj at EQMusic Blog has unmistakeable great taste in music and has been touting Amsterdam-based singer Tao Hypah for some time now. After appearing on the essential This Beat Is…Poptronik Volume One compilation earlier this year with “Celeb” (which got to #3 on my chart), Tao Hypah is back with the highly provocative “Play The Girl”. And it’s not just the gender-bending lyrics which will grab your attention. The well-directed video below with all of its colours, style and choreography, along with the melody which has a positively massive hook, leave “Play The Girl” embedded in your head so that multiple viewings and listens are required. In some ways it reminds me of Kyle Brylin’s equally suggestive “Everything I’m Missing” from last year – no matter what your personal preferences, you can’t help but listen and watch. This is a great showcase for the talented Tao Hypah – can’t wait for more!

RUBY ROSE featuring GARY GO, “Guilty Pleasure” (Young Skeeter remix)

Australian VJ, model and singer Ruby Rose is in the process of recording her debut album, and our introduction to it is “Guilty Pleasure”, featuring versatile UK singer Gary Go, he of 2009’s gorgeous “Wonderful” and last year’s Grammy-winning Benny Benassi collabo “Cinema”. Their voices create a lovely bit of vocal foreplay here before the song bursts wide open into spun-out dancefloor bliss. Listen below and play loud.

Cool Clever Covers

As many of you know, it is not my first choice to listen to a cover of someone else’s song as the original almost always is better.  But here are some intriguing choices from some reliable performers you know all too well from these blog pages 🙂

Adam Tyler “One Thing”

As a precursor to plenty of new songs to come from the always-busy Adam, the singer/songwriter has delved into current tweendom with a sharp cover of One Direction’s “One Thing”.  It’s a smart diversion from the original, starting with a gruffer vocal but the song moves along to showcase Adam’s range and perfectly captures the sentiment of the song.  It’s a pleasant surprise from a song that’s been covered a lot since its release.  Listen below and check out Adam’s website.

Matthew Kurz “Diamonds”

So many performers are already out of the gate trying to outdo Rihanna’s version of this Sia song.  To me, this is one song that can be improved on immensely, and Matthew Kurz, who is so adept at his own songs, can do just that, as witness to his triumphant version of “Titanium” this past summer.  His vocal on “Diamonds” actually accentuates the lyrics and once again showcases his fine, expressive voice, giving it a totally different feel to the original.  Listen below and check out his You Tube channel for more music.

Charly Mae, “Your Body”

And you might be thinking, oh who can possibly do this song justice so soon after its release?  You may recall UK singer and resident gal-in-pink Charly Mae Tuffen from these pages earlier this year when she introduced herself with a cover of Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter”, followed by an equally punchy original “4 Ya Queen”.  Well since she had already tackled a Christina song, why not another?  With a re-recorded instrumental track, “Your Body” is simply soft putty when set to Charly Mae’s voice.  She has the range to get the job done as if she owned the song.  More new Charly Mae music will be coming soon so stay tuned to her Facebook page.  Watch her perform “Your Body” below.

Kyle Brylin, “Untouched”

Ever prolific Kyle is so often on a roll that I miss the odd song choice and have to backtrack.  So I re-found his rendition of The Veronicas’ smash “Untouched”, and while it doesn’t sound drastically different from the song musically, the lower register of Kyle’s voice is perfectly suited to it and matches the spontaneous-sounding energy level of the original.  Kyle is great at delving full thrust into the heart of many of his cover choices, and you can get this one as a free download right here.

Baiyu, “Paranoid”

Wait, a new cover of the classic Black Sabbath rocker?  Heh heh… No, New York singer Baiyu logically tackles the 2009 hit by the Jonas Brothers to showcase how she can breeze through a straight-forward pop song.  And what better way than by appearing as a contestant on the CW’s “The Next” in front of judge Joe Jonas?  Jonas fans have latched on to her and this is surely a delightful treat for them.  You can download “Paranoid” for free right here – appearing on “The Next” is only the start for this top notch talent so watch her You Tube channel for more news!

Matt & Kim: The Hardest Working Duo in Pop Music??

I wasn’t on board until three years ago, but Brooklyn’s Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, aka Matt & Kim, are one of the most entertaining and energetic acts I’ve seen in recent years.

It all started with a neat tune called “Daylight”, which grabbed my ears and has yet to let go of them three years later.  I got familiar with the other songs from the Grand album, just in time to see their show in Toronto at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in October 2010 at the time of the release of their last album Sidewalks.  The show was a solid, no frills and invigorating performance that kept the audience pumped.  Sidewalks brought on a richer production than Grand, evident in some of the best songs like “Block After Block” and “Ice Melts”.

After touring the hell out of it in 2011, the duo took a bit of a break, but got back into their apartment studio in January to record their latest album Lightning.  That album goes back to a more DIY bare bones sound as on Grand.  And while it all sounds somewhat stripped away, making something simple, to-the-point, and memorable is difficult!  So Matt & Kim rely on simple riffs, big drum beats, anthemic choruses, and more minimal lyrics to keep it all stuck in your head.  Standout songs include “Let’s Go”, “Now” (recently a free download), “It’s Alright”, “I Wonder”, and “Overexposed”.

The emphasis this time around though is on their concert performance, which received rave reviews from their last tour, and they have upped the ante.  So back at the Phoenix in Toronto again in October, the set starts off with “Block After Block”, one of their most well-known songs, which is a huge plus.  Then down come balloons for the crowd to blow up and toss around, and out comes paper confetti (twice) to make the set a celebration.  The energy level just doesn’t stop, with plenty of audience interaction from both of the duo, including one song they say has 201 BPM.  Even when they do have to slow it down a bit just to compose themselves, there is always something happening, whether it’s a brief cover of “Better Off Alone” by Alice Deejay, incorporating some incidental Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg music, or injecting “We No Speak Americano” into the mix.  Then on we go to expect the unexpected through songs like “Daylight” (cue power failure – even better, cue audience to finish it off, much to the amazement of Matt & Kim), “Lessons Learned”, “Yea Yeah”, and “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare”.  A clip of “It’s Alright” from their Burlington VT show last week is below.

So the more I read articles that isolate Lightning as an album from the duo’s concert performance, the more I want to fuse them together.  The album is really a souvenir of the concert, they need to be experienced together for the ride.  And remember that despite four albums now, Matt & Kim do not have major label or talent agency backing.  So does that make Matt & Kim the hardest working duo in pop music?  Find me one or two similar comparisons and we’ll talk.

BILLCS Top 30 #389 – October 8/12

While the rest of my personal chart is stunted with pent-up activity from songs on the rise, the songs at the top of the chart pretty much stay intact.  So that means we have the very talented Chris Wallace gracing #1 for a fourth time with “Remember When (Push Rewind)”, and you can watch for another song from the Push Rewind album to debut in these parts in two weeks.  

Zedd has been on Lady GaGa’s lips a lot lately, if you happened to miss the “High Princess/Stache” mashup on the weekend (it’s below).  So featuring Matthew Koma’s dulcet boyish tones, the German producer claims #2 with “Spectrum”, which looks to succeed “Remember When” at the top.  

“Go For Gold” holds steady at #3 for Kyle Patrick, while “Dreams Are Gold” by DATABOY (#4) continues to hang in the Top 5  – where it has been for all of its appearances but one (it debuted at #8) – while the loveable “Genius” continues to rise at #8.  “Houdini” by Foster The People holds tight at #5 with the free download of the Green Children remix, which is just cause for lots of random dancing.

There’s a long stretch of songs on hold or rising between #5 and #15, so I’ll touch on the bigger moves.  “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega (below) moves 8-6, hovering  just below the Top 5 in anticipation of a bigger move in two weeks – can it get to #1?  I have been saying it since I first heard it – Hallowe’en dance parties, this is YOUR song!  

Vaulting 12-7 is the emotional Swedish dance music that is currently so appealing by way of “Long Time” by John De Sohn featuring Andreas Moe.  Another dance floor filler is Markus Riva’s “We Dance 4 Reason”, holding at #9.  And then Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Can Happen” arrives at #10 just as her Halcyon album hits stores tomorrow in North America.  Let’s get those remixes onto iTunes as well, shall we?

You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page.  Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer.  There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so :)

The fastest riser of the lot is “Feel It” by Bright Light Bright Light featuring Mykal Kilgore, which soars 18-11.  Bright Light Bright Light has scored opening UK concert dates for Scissor Sisters, which I hope will translate into a second go round for the Sisters in North America.  Their “Let’s Have A Kiki” is still on the pulse of dance clubs right now, and BLx2’s own mashup of it and “Feel It” (“Let’s Have A Feel”) continues to put a smile on my face, prompting me to want to lock the door and lower the blinds… Listen below.

While we do not have a video for Colin Munroe’s triumphant “Over It” (up 17-13), we do have one for previous Top 5 single “The Fight Of My Life” from his mixtape Unsung Hero, so give it a view below.  There’s some intriguing imagery completely befitting of the song.  Well done!

That smashing duo from the UK, Bim, currently has “Lights Out” climbing the chart, moving 19-14, but in preparation for their stunning Lifelines EP (now on pre-order on iTunes – you can read my initial thoughts on it right here), the pair have a new video on deck below for next single “Burn”, which remembers those fond days when we as children could be superheroes for just one day.  There’s some pretty impressive graphic artistry, see the poster below as well.

“Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler climbs 21-17, but that captivating Stormby’s Drama mix of the song is now also featured on the compilation Kiss My Lipstick Off, now available on iTunes and featuring other fine folks like Liz Primo, Spray, and Nathalie Archangel.  Last week’s debuts all get stuck together temporarily at songs #20-22, waiting for a gap in the chart to occur (likely in two weeks), so be sure to check out indie release “Evolved” by Vague-a-bonde (watch for the video soon but in the meantime listen to the song below), Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time”, and “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield (video also due soon).

You can watch the video for the lead debut on the chart (#24) at the top of this post.  While I’ve enjoyed the music of Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello over the years in solo and various other projects, their Swedish House Mafia project never really got on my radar till this year.  And apparently their album Until Now and sell out tour represent an end to the project.  I never believe ‘never’ in the music business, but in the meantime we can all enjoy “Don’t You Worry Child”, once again featuring outstanding urgent and emotional vocals by another of Sweden’s go-to-guys, John Martin.

I’ve long appreciated the powerful and soulful voice of Christina Aguilera, though her songs have not always been consistent and therefore haven’t appeared in this chart until more recently.  But every time a song has charted (this is the 7th time), it has reached my Top 10.  We’ll see if that happens with the outrageous but fun “Your Body”, which bows at #25 with the accompanying entertaining video.  It’s from her upcoming 5th studio set (excluding Latin, Christmas, and Best Of compilation) called Lotus.

I recently wrote about Mika’s The Origin Of Love album, which is a diverse collection that may take a few listens to grow on you.  One aspect of the record that is very appealing is how it lets loose on a couple of the songs.  So two songs debut on this chart, the quirky “Wicked” inspired “Popular Song” at #26, and then his duet with Pharrell Williams (himself no stranger to the chart, having appeared with Snoop Dogg on “Beautiful” and Robin Thicke on “Wanna Love U Girl”, as well as with his trio N.E.R.D. on the #1 “Rock Star” and “Hypnotize U”) on “Celebrate” at #29.  These songs mark Mika’s 7th and 8th appearances, with his most successful being in 2009-10 when “Rain” got to #1 and “Blame It On The Girls” and “We Are Golden” reached #2 and #3 respectively.  Watch the joyous video for “Celebrate” below.

And at #30 is “Let’s Go” by Matt & Kim, the lead single from their fourth album Lightning, which hit stores last week.  I caught them in concert last week and will have my thoughts about that show and their album in the coming week.  The duo have worked exceptionally hard to make all of their music accessible in various formats, and have created lyrics videos for each song on the new album.  Watch the video for “Let’s Go” below – I’m sure we’ll be seeing and hearing more from Matt & Kim as their tour progresses.  The Brooklyn, NY duo have previously reached the Top 5 on the chart with “Daylight” and “Block After Block”.

Weekend Grab Bag: New Music from Mika, Adam Tyler, Bim, Andy Suzuki & The Method, and The Aquaducks

Mika, The Origin Of Love

It seems like a long wait since 2009’s The Boy Who Knew Too Much, but Mika’s third album The Origin Of Love arrived this month.  While the album on the whole is sturdy and entertaining, it’s taken a while for me to warm up to it.  Where past albums have focused mainly on danceable electronica/pop, with some variation, The Origin Of Love switches it around, putting diverse musical styles first over commercial content.  That may make it seem like a transitional album for Mika, but I’ve got to admire his confidence for assembling such a varied amount of songs.

The album starts with the title song, which is a big production number, but doesn’t stick with that style and proceeds directly to pure pop in the form of “Lola”, “Stardust”, and the warm-hearted (if synthetic-sounding) “Make You Happy”.  I tend to like the songs where Mika clearly speaks his mind, such as “Overrated” and “Love You When I’m Drunk” over some of the other electronic pop-oriented songs like “Underwater” and “Kids”.  The album gets better with the creativity of  “Popular Song” (based on “Popular” from the play “Wicked”) and his most welcome English remake of his French language smash “Elle me dit”, here reinvented as “Emily”.  That song could become a hit all over again in the English market.  “Heroes” gets softer and more thoughtful, and the album wraps up with the joyous “Celebrate”, the first single with Pharrell Williams, which is still gradually growing on me and has a video (watch below) which in some ways reminds me of the abandon of 2009’s “We Are Golden”.

Overall, The Origin Of Love is a triumph of content over style and performance.  There aren’t as many vocal gymnastics from Mika on his last record but I think if there were, they would take away from the essence of the songs.  Give The Origin Of Love some good solid listens and I think you’ll be pleased, and the songs should certainly translate well into live performance.

Adam Tyler, Acoustic Ice (EP)

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that Adam Tyler has continued to win me over since his debut single “Friction” in 2010.  Not only does he have the songwriting chops and the team behind him to make things happen, which has resulted in him playing all over the USA, Japan, Ireland, England, and Spain (but not Canada…. hmm… yet), but he’s also got a voice that has grown over the past few years.  We got a taste of Adam’s talent in videos of “Torn” and “Turning Tables” (below), plus stripped down versions of “I Won’t Let You Go” and “Emergency” on his Shattered Ice album of last year.

So it’s only logical that you should invest in Acoustic Ice, an EP of additional bare-sounding versions of some of the best songs from Shattered Ice.  “Like A Drug”, “Pull The Trigger”, and “Music Freak” have all graced the Top 10 of my personal chart, and the blood and guts of these songs come out when less is more in terms of production.  The other songs are the title track, “Let Me Breathe”, and “Taking Back My Love”, the latter like “Pull The Trigger” a much more pointed rendition depicting an end of a relationship.  Overall, Shattered Ice is a great way to showcase the vocal talent which some of you have seen in concert, and is a sweet segue into a new slew of songs.

Acoustic Ice is available for purchase from Adam’s website and all proceeds go to the Raise The Roof Kenya foundation.  Great music for a great cause.

Bim, Lifelines (upcoming EP)

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing the Lifelines EP well in advance of its November 5 release, and my reaction was instant.  In time I think this latest effort from UK duo Rebecca Rosier and Denmark Davis will become a favourite of mine this year.  As with earlier single “Scream” and lead off single to the EP “Lights Out” (video below), every song within Lifelines is full of intense emotion, powerful vocal interaction, and key lyrical moments that resonate long after the song is over… “you can have my heart, if I can keep my soul” from next single “Burn”, “I will make you see ….. stars” from “Lights Out”, “I’m scared to death that you’ll try to forget” from “Untouchable” – powerful, urgent stuff.  So with that taste for you, I’ll be reminding you about Lifelines closer to its release.  This EP precedes a full album of the same name due in early 2013.

Andy Suzuki & The Method, “Fairytale”

As this trio from New York City wraps up a Malaysian tour in Brunei of all places, you can get to know their infectious hybrid jazz/rock courtesy of the free download (with email subscription) of “Fairytale” from their website.  The song also appears on their recent EP Ghost Stories and has that kind of vibrant, piano-led melody that will turn heads.  Andy Suzuki & The Method have been garnering praise throughout the last few years with awards coming from their local city.  When they return from Brunei, they will be touring various cities in the U.S.  Get a taste of a live performance of “Fairytale” below.

The Aquaducks, “Fuel The Funk”

Do not – do not – let the name fool you!  I love humour mixed with music, and The Aquaducks look like they have that in band name and pic below.  So until we have some pics to show all their faces, take one look at the video below for “Fuel The Funk”, and you’ll see that this Nashville septet is seriously full of many talents that offer not only pop/rock but jazz, R&B, and reggae stylings in their mix. And those voices will silence even the most inattentive crowd.  You can download “Fuel The Funk” below and some other songs from Soundcloud that show how potentially dynamic The Aquaducks can be.

15th Anniversary Edition: BILLCS Top 30 #388 – September 24/12

In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago, in other ways it’s like yesterday.  15 years ago this week I began posting my personal chart online on a regular basis.

As I was discovering the ‘Net through our dial-up connection in 1996/97, I was able to find message boards and chart sites where, yes, there were actually music chart geeks like me, who created their own lists of favourites, or sometimes a list of songs that were heavily influenced by radio play of the day.  I had compiled my own charts back in the 70’s, but abandoned that when I joined my university radio station, where I influenced their chart and my fellow DJ’s, and eventually became in charge of producing their chart!  I continued to assist with this well past graduation and into my free-lance writing days.  After that, I still produced my own lists but they weren’t charts, just a way to keep track of what I liked and what was current.

So the rabid presence of all kinds of music on the Internet has been and will continue to be a blessing for me, and I’ll keep on producing my chart as long as people are interested in reading it and chatting with me about it and its songs.  I posted charts now and again throughout 1997 online, but I don’t have copies of any of those charts until January 1998 when I began saving them and documenting them, because I just knew this wasn’t going to go away, though “Turn My Head” by Live was my #1 in September 1997.  So I’m 388 bi-weekly editions in (the first 8 months had a Top 10 only), and here’s what’s happening 🙂

His Push Rewind album goes several songs deeper, but “Remember When (Push Rewind)” by Chris Wallace holds at #1 for a 3rd appearance (6th week), with “Dreams Are Gold” by DATABOY not giving up second place yet.  This makes it difficult when two fun and engaging songs, “Go For Gold” by Kyle Patrick, and “Spectrum” by Zedd & Matthew Koma, each advance within the Top 5.  They are joined by “Houdini” by Foster the People, making it 3 for 3 for the trio following fellow Top Fivers “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Call It What You Want”.  Also – Mark Foster’s tweets under @FosterThePeople are so worth following.  He’s definitely got interesting opinions but also tweets about great things, including the challenge he gave to a photographer to lose weight over a number of months, with the reward being a financial amount from Mark himself.  Inspiring!

You’ll notice that “Spectrum” by Florence & The Machine is now out of the Top 5 at #7 and “Timebomb” by Kylie Minogue rests at #14.  But despite reaching #3 and #4 respectively, both songs will rank highly at year’s ends, possibly higher than some of my #1’s!  We’ll see!  Markus Riva’s “We Dance 4 Reason” climbs to a new peak at #9.

You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page.  Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer.  There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so :)

The fastest riser on the chart, for a second time, is the completely crazy and irresistible “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega, which leaps over his own “Turn It Up” (at #11), to move 17-8.  You can listen to the full song near the top of this post or below on Soundcloud.  Once “MMYLC” grabs you, it doesn’t let go, so you can find it on iTunes – and right now I’m waiting for remixes!  Carlos is just finishing off his album, and you’ll know more about that from me as it happens.  Joining “MMYLC” in the Top 10 for the first time is the irrepressible “Genius” by DATABOY at #10.  That song can also be found on the duo’s Dreams Are Gold album.

Lots of great new songs continue to move up.  A massive hit in Sweden, “Long Time” by John De Sohn & Andreas Moe climbs to #12.  Andreas also recorded an acoustic version on his Collecting Sunlight EP which I wrote about a while back.  “Anything Could Happen” by Ellie Goulding is whetting fans’ appetites while she’s on tour in anticipation of the Halcyon album, and rises to #13.  Jeronimo’s “Unheard” isn’t released as a single anywhere, but it’s my next favourite song to the title track of his album One Kiss and jumps to #15.  “Unheard” is just one of those singalongs where the lyrics just find their way easily into your mouth.  Jeronimo is starring in a new movie called “My Dad’s A Detective – The Battle”, and a video for his beautiful ballad “Firefly” includes snippets of scenes from that movie.  I’m not sure if we’ll see this movie in North America, but our young Netherlander is obviously a double threat!  Watch the video below.

Songs 16 through 21 keep the chart looking busy – as they should because every song on this chart is a winner regardless of where it peaks.  The offbeat melodies and lyrics of songs on Saint Motel’s Voyeur album are really appealing to me, and the clarinet-sample-led “Benny Goodman” is at #16.  “Over It” by Colin Munroe looks to follow “The Fight Of My Life” into the Top 10 and rises to #17.  “Feel It” is the latest single by Bright Light Bright Light, featuring Mykal Kilgore, and soars to #18.  Of course, Rod Thomas (aka BLx2) has double-whammied us once again with a new video for the song, and a mashup for free download called “Let’s Have A Feel”, which has great fun in setting Scissor Sisters’ #1 club hit “Let’s Have A Kiki” to the music of “Feel It”.  Watch the video and listen to the mashup below.

UK duo Bim are busy working on an album, and you’ll find out more when you go to their website and download “Lights Out”, which resides at #19.  Despite the blond look on the cover of his EP We Should, Kyle Brylin has returned to short brown hair for a new single, the piano ballad “Ain’t The Same” (which you can hear below and download for free from Soundcloud right here).  In the meantime, the chart sticks to the electro-house of the poignant “Hurricane”, which climbs to #20.  There’s always a place for a theatrical sound on my chart from time to time, and “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler nails it in spades and rises to #21.

Rounding out the chart are three debuts.  I wrote about “Evolved” by Minnesota singer Vague-à-bonde (aka Nicole Brenny) a little while back.  The combination of soft, genuine vocals and one of the best chorus hooks you’ll hear this year sends the song into the chart at an impressive #24.  You can download it for free right here.  It’s taken a little longer than usual for “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons to sink in, but the opening episode of this season’s “Glee” has kept the song in my head (especially in its Penguin Prison remix, which you can get on iTunes).  “It’s Time” bows at #26 (watch the video at the bottom of the post if you’re not yet familiar with it).  And this past week I wrote about “Between The Raindrops”, the single from the upcoming new Lifehouse album, which features Natasha Bedingfield in a well-placed guest appearance.  The song arrives at #27 and is Lifehouse’s 9th entry on the chart since debuting back at the end of 2000 with one of my all time favourite songs, “Hanging By A Moment”.  Here’s the complete list:

“Hanging By A Moment”, #1, 2001
“Sick Cycle Carousel”, #20, 2001
“Everything”, #3, 2001
“Spin” #1, 2002
“You And Me”, #3, 2005
“Halfway Gone”, #3, 2010
“Had Enough” (with Chris Daughtry), “#11, 2010
“All In”, #8, 2010

End Of Summer Pop Blast

BT & Arty featuring Nadia Ali “Must Be The Love”

BT is back and ready to take over dance clubs and radio with “Must Be The Love” in partnership with Arty and featuring the always compelling Nadia Ali on vocals.  It’s a radiant 9:52 that moves by in the blink of an eye.  That’s because its gradual buildup lasts three and a half minutes, but by the four and a half point, you are now hostage with no way out but to revel in it till the end.  This is 2012’s return to Trance the way it should be done, and there’s no one who can take you for a better ride, with all of the glorious details, than BT.

Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield, “Between The Raindrops”

I was so worried when I found out the new single by Lifehouse would include a featured artist.  But it was all for nought when I found out that Natasha Bedingfield was the collaborator on “Between The Raindrops”.  In advance of the band’s sixth album, I find that this might be a little softer pop for Lifehouse outside of its ballads, but Jason Wade’s convincing vocals countered by Natasha’s charm make this way better than what I might have imagined.

Richard Barone “I Belong To Me”

It’s not a new song, but not one that you’re likely to know.  You can change all of that with this free download which precedes the 25th anniversary of Richard’s seminal Cool Blue Halo album, from which the song comes.  I’m a huge fan of the former Bongos singer’s solo albums Primal Dream, Clouds Over Eden, and 2010’s Glow.  At the time, I found Cool Blue Halo to be offbeat for me and I didn’t enjoy its stripped away production.  But after Richard’s impressive body of pop music work, I’m looking to get reacquainted with its songs again.  Watch a recent video of Richard performing “I Belong To Me” below and find out more about the celebration around Cool Blue Halo at Richard’s website.


Adaku “Silent Treatment”

I introduced you a little while ago to Nigeria-born Adaku, with her comfort food for the soul in the form of “Or You Can”.  She continues to dazzle, in a quiet but confident and impressive way with alternative soul in the form of “Silent Treatment”.  The song sits comfortably next to others by Frank Ocean, Jill Scott, Eric Benet, and Alicia Keys.  Download “Silent Treatment”  for free right here, and keep your ears peeled for more Adaku.

Stone Walters “Dancing In The Dark”

UK singer Stone Walters has been a constant in this blog throughout the year, starting with the stunning heart tugger “Home”, and then with the hopeful “World Keeps Turning”.  Now he takes a chilled out approach to Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark”- and you can’t mess with a song like this unless you can truly sing it.  Listen to the song below, and download it for free by heading over to Stone’s website with your email address.

Nik Miles “Beautiful People” (live snippet)\

Not many pop singers will abandon everything at their fingertips in New York City for Malmo, Sweden.  But as you know from these pages and from those of other bloggers, Sweden could at any point take over the pop world, and not just in a retro Ace Of Base kind of way.  So singer/actor Nik Miles is in good hands if the danceable pop of “Beautiful People” is any indication.  He has a powerful, versatile voice that can transform nicely if given the right kind of song to sing.  But as you’ll see from the live snippet, he’s got the personality, energy, and commitment to make it happen too.  Much is in the works, so look to hear more from Nik Miles before the end of the year.

And don’t forget to check out:

The mind-blowing Skrillex-influenced Birdy Nam Nam remix from left field of Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen” that blew up last weekend.

The lyric video for “Dreams Are Gold”, the first single and title track of the debut album by DATABOY, which you owe it to yourself to have in your collection.

And one of the best and wildest EP’s you’ll hear all year from the reliable and unpredictable FrankMusik (in disguise as his Vincent Did It moniker) with The SOPA Opera EP, now available to hear via Soundcloud.  Plus, Vince has a daffy and funky instrumental “Grasping At Nothing” available for free download, as well as his remix of “Flesh” by Simon Curtis.

Music Is Our Release: Secondhand Serenade’s “A Naked Twist In My Story” and “Unsung Hero” by Colin Munroe

At the worst of times, music is our release, it’s where you can turn when you need to clear your head and fill it with something else.  John Vasely of Secondhand Serenade and Colin Munroe have had their bad times, and are fortunately such talented performers that they can share it with us through their music.

Secondhand Serenade “A Naked Twist In My Story”

We have actually heard John’s story, back in 2008 when its sparkling, doe-eyed showcase song “Fall For You” could be heard everywhere (it got to #7 on my personal chart).  But it’s one of the few happy songs on the record, coinciding of course with the start of a promising relationship that ultimately falls apart.  A Naked Twist In My Story is A Twist In My Story stripped away to near-bare bones, but without the studio enhancements the story becomes a much more emotional and personal affair.  

I can’t really say that “Fall For You” is improved; this version is its gritty companion.  Being in a different place myself in 2012 than in 2008, the pain and sorrow of songs like “Why”, “Pretend”, and “Goodbye” is better understood and the raw performances shine through.  There’s a lovely new bonus song too, “Belong To”, which doesn’t set out to be another “Fall For You” and I think is the point of hope that we all reach at a certain part of our stories.  I saw Secondhand Serenade in concert three years ago.  About 80% of the attendees knew the words to most of the songs that were played, and John and his band made a medium sized venue quite intimate for their fans, many of whom will be on board for this new part of the story.

A Naked Twist In My Story is an independent release that will whet your appetite for Secondhand Serenade’s fifth full album, due later this year.  Buy it on iTunes and listen to a snippet of “Belong To” below.

Colin Munroe, “Unsung Hero” (mixtape)

If I’m reading the lyrics correctly (and I may not be), I’d say that Colin Munroe struck rock bottom in both professional and personal hell in the last few years.  However, as strange as life turns around, we are benefitting from the results through his new record deal with Capitol/EMI and his compelling recent releases, which have landed inside his latest mixtape “Unsung Hero”.  And it’s definitely a different kind of ‘unsung hero’ that we heard back in 2008 with his mixtape “Colin Munroe Is The Unsung Hero” or when he first appeared as a featured artist on songs by the likes of Donnis and Drake.

 “Unsung Hero” doesn’t rest on one kind of style of pop music, navigating easily through accessible but cutting pop like “Over It”, the cathartic R&B hip hop of “The Fight Of My Life” and “Scars ‘N Stars”, the almost giddy “Fucking Amazing”, and the thought-provoking, deliberately paced “Your Eyes”.  Colin Munroe has such talent with his craft that one shouldn’t forget that his vocals are spot on, too.  And he has a bevy of friends to help him build his castle of a  resolve, including Cassie, K.Flay, Pusha-T, Kendrick Lamar, Memoryhouse, and RZA.  In some ways, “Unsung Hero” is also a good companion to JMSN’s †Priscilla† of earlier this year.  

“Unsung Hero” may still be available for free download at some sites, but I’m not sure if that was the intent.  Regardless, you can stream the entire record on Colin’s Soundcloud page below.  I’d say Act II of Colin Munroe’s musical career is well-underway with a lot more ahead for us to hear.

BILLCS Chart #387 – September 10/12

I often refer to my bi-weekly chart as a list of my favourite songs of the moment, but it also serves as a recap of what I’ve been listening to over the last few weeks.

Suffice it to say, my last week has been filled with Chris Wallace songs from his solo album Push Rewind, which was released last Monday, and I posted my thoughts about it in the week.  Lead single “Remember When (Push Rewind)” holds on to #1 on my chart quite handily, the first of what I expect will be a few appearances for Chris on the chart in the coming months.  With three songs on the chart, DATABOY is hardly out of the picture, with “Dreams Are Gold” ranking #2 and the fun “Genius” rising to #13.  Both “Spectrum”s on the chart now surround “Go For Gold” by Kyle Patrick, which rises to #4.  Florence & The Machine stay at #3 with the Calvin Harris remix, and Zedd & Matthew Koma soar to #5 (the video is below if you’ve missed it).  Who will succeed Chris Wallace at #1.  Frankly, I just don’t know yet!

Also climbing within the Top 10 is Bright Light Bright Light with “Moves” from Make Me Believe In Hope at #6 – though it’s not the second single from the album (more on that below).  Right below is “Houdini” in a free download Green Children remix by Foster The People.  New to the Top 10 are Baiyu’s “Hunter” at #9 and “We Dance 4 Reason” from Markus Riva at #10.  Baiyu may get a wild card spot on “The Next” TV show in coming episodes due to her strong performance in the New York City round.  Markus has another single up his sleeve, with a video being shot soon for “Chase”.  The video for “Reason” is below.

You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page.  Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer.  There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so :)

Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega is close to descending on the Top 10 with two songs, “Turn It Up”, which rises to #11, and the big, bouncy anthem “Music Makes Me Lose Control”, which is the fastest riser, vaulting 23-17.  The trance-oriented “Long Time” by Sweden’s John De Sohn featuring Andreas Moe on vocals moves up to #14 (strange but eye-catching video below), Ellie Goulding’s infectious single “Anything Could Happen” from her upcoming Halcyon album rises to 16, “Benny Goodman” by Saint Motel is up to #19, “Lights Out” by UK duo Bim jumps to #22 as a free download, and “Hurricane” by Kyle Brylin is at #25.

Three familiar faces comprise 3/4 of our debuts.  My next favourite song from young Netherlands singer Jeronimo’s album One Kiss after the title track is the jaunty “Unheard” (listen below), which bows at #20 as “One Kiss” spends its last appearance on the chart after a maximum of 10 (20 weeks).  Then, Toronto’s Colin Munroe unleashed his latest mixtape Unsung Hero mid-last week, and I’ll have some detailed words on that in the week.  In the meantime, his free download of the empowering “Over It”, which I wrote about last week, arrives at #23.  The second official single from Bright Light Bright Light’s Make Me Believe In Hope is in fact the tailored-for-clubs “Feel It”, featuring Mykal Kilgore in a shimmering remix below, at #26.  The last debut, if you didn’t guess it from yesterday’s blog post, is “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler at #28.

Video Alert: “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler


USA-born, Australia-based performer Jane Badler is known best to most of the world as Diana in the 80s TV show “V” and a role in the soap opera “One Life To Live”, as well as appearances on TV in prime time shows like “Falcon Crest”.  But she’s been scoping out another career as a singer for a while now, and as you know from these pages, I’m enthralled by her latest project Mistaken Identity, which features the dynamic and noble “Yesterday’s Tomorrows”, a song that could be a ready-made theme song to an action movie, or the basis for an entire stage play!  Jane’s got a fantastic team behind her to make this all happen.

It was so wonderful to hear that a video was in the works, and it doesn’t hesitate to get up close and personal to draw you into the old-fashioned love-letter storyline and drama of the song.  Best of all later in the video Jane gets to wear a stunning black gown and ponder on a beach, complete with what looks like fireworks before a colourful sunset, making the East Hamptons look quite magical in the process.

Get Mistaken Identity and the remixes of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” on iTunes.  A debut on my chart this weekend perhaps, too?