BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

BILLCS Music Blog’s Top 75 Songs of 2012 – #40 to #31

#40 Labrinth featuring Tinie Tempah “Earthquake”

“Earthquake” is a carry over from last year, when it was a #2 hit in the UK. Europe still gets what North America doesn’t: Labrinth (aka 23 year old Timothy McKenzie) created a complicated landscape which stands out from so many other dance/EDM records of the past year. Tinie Tempah’s rap blends into the proceedings quite nicely, and the song is matched with an appropriately snazzy and other-worldly video. Boom! Shake the room.

#39 JMSN “Something”

One of the most compelling records of the year, if not always an easy listen, is JMSN’s †Priscilla†. The lengthy album features R&B-oriented pop songs about heartbreak, loss, loneliness, self-doubt, and self-realization. But JMSN (Christian Berishaj) executes his songs with such finesse, well-structured vocals, and arrangements to die-for that you are drawn into the concept rather than shoved away from it. “Something” is the album’s stunner, full of longing and grim truth that echoes like the hefty amount of percussion in the backdrop. JMSN has been playing shows this year primarily in Los Angeles, and I’m hoping his next effort in ’13 will take him across North America (perhaps with his friend Daniel Bedingfield? More about that further on.). Watch the video below; it will make you squirm but it’s hard to look away.

#38 Bright Light Bright Light “Moves”

#35 Bright Light Bright Light featuring Mykal Kilgore “Feel It”

Nary a day has gone by in the last three years when the music of Bright Light Bright Light hasn’t been heard in my household or in my car or on my iPod. Regular readers will already know that Wales-born London-based BLx2 (Rod Thomas) creates wise and romantic soundscapes that draw heavily from disco and 90’s dance pop. “Moves” and “Feel It” are two of three songs in this year end listing from BLx2’s debut album Make Me Believe In Hope – and Rod will convince you. “Moves” (live performance video below) is disco heaven featuring a backdrop of 70’s flourishes while “Feel It” pulls up to the bumper with its funky heat and supurb featured vocals by mister Mykal Kilgore that would not sound out of place on a Black Box single. To cap it all off, Rod created one of his now famously generous mashups with “Feel It” and Scissor Sisters’ “Let’s Have A Kiki” which puts a smile on my face – and anyone else’s who I’ve played it for – every time.

#37 Adam Tyler “Like A Drug”

Another album that has songs split between last year and this year is Shattered Ice by Adam Tyler. L.A.-based Adam’s been a mainstay in these parts for the last three years, continuing with the seductive “Like A Drug”, which took a bit longer to resonate with me than some of his other songs, but nonetheless it did, and Adam scored with a slick, impressively choreographed video. Adam also released an EP of stripped-away renditions of some of the Shattered Ice songs called Acoustic Ice, whose proceeds go to charity. One more Adam song – making it four that charted from Shattered Ice – is still to come in this countdown!

#36 Andreas Moe “Collecting Sunlight”

One of the year’s utterly joyful delights is “Collecting Sunlight” by Swedish singer/songwriter (and one of my 13 Performers to Watch in ’13) 24 year old Andreas Moe. The song tells a simple story that is brought to life by Andreas’ affecting vocal and subsequently by a literal but engaging animated video. But this time, watch the live performance clip below.

#34 Joe Jonas “Not Right Now”

I didn’t latch on to Joe’s Fastlife album until late last year after the first two singles from the album failed to register much with me. But upon hearing his third single, the R&B-oriented ballad “Just In Love”, I ventured into the album, and found it filled with intensely edgy danceable pop with a heavy influence from the current EDM scene. That led to two other non-singles arriving on my chart (one will follow later on in this list), so first we have “Not Right Now”, which is a pretty damn fierce cha-cha if you ask me. This is hardly what Jonas fans could have expected (and perhaps album sales suffered for that), but its smart arrangement and urgent vocal will certainly keep Joe Jonas on my radar for his next release.

#33 Vincent Did It featuring Quigley “Notice Me”

While we anticipate FrankMusik’s third album next year, he did offer us (under the guise of Vincent Did It) a still-free EP early on in the year called The SOPA Opera. It contained a diverse collection of electronic dance pop songs, including this gem, a duet led by Quigley (aka Casey Carlson) released in advance of her FrankMusik-produced EP Pleiades. Follow Frank on his journey on Twitter and take the opportunity to drop into the adventurous proceedings in his studio when he streams his works-in-progress.

#32 Ellie Goulding “Anything Could Happen”

Unlike her massive hit “Lights”, which took well over a year to gel with radio stations in North America, the sparkling and uplifting “Anything Could Happen”, from Ellie’s sophomore album Halcyon, is a no-brainer. Ellie performs a striking vocal in this song, which should by all rights be a bigger hit as it just jumps out of the radio when you hear it. I also wrote about its inventive remix by Birdy Nam Nam which generated quite a flurry online a few months back. Ellie has the potential to be the Kate Bush of the current generation.

#31 Daniel Bedingfield “Secret Fear”

Being a fan of his earlier hits, I was very pleased when Daniel Bedingfield was released from record company hell to bring us up to date on the music he’d been writing for the last eight years. Understandably, this comeback was not going to be Gotta Get Thru This part two. In fact Daniel’s album Secret Fear-Stop The Traffik contains intensely personal and emotional ruminations on love, relationships and most apparently, sex. “Secret Fear” is the dramatic, cathartic lead off song, which Daniel transformed into a claustrophobic but most watchable video that he also directed. Shows in Los Angeles and South Africa received raves from those who attended; let’s put him on a double bill with his friend JMSN for a tour, shall we?

BILLCS Music Blog’s Top 75 Songs of 2012 – #60 to #41

Today I bring you the big middle bit of the list, a delightful array of 20 songs that more than tickled my fancy throughout the year. So this post is a little long, but bear with me…

Click here to view songs #75 to #41

Three singers in this list escaped from an often horrible fate in the music industry – record company hell. Tyler Hilton had never been away from the music scene, and of course showed up on TV quite regularly in One Tree Hill as Chris Keller. After many delays in trying to release a sophomore album, seven years perhaps is a long time between albums but his TV and film popularity preceded him and Tyler definitely grew in that time. So he ended up releasing his album Forget The Storm independently, and toured throughout North America, the UK, and Europe. It’s a fine rocking effort and gave Tyler the opportunity to connect with many fans who have been waiting for him, and “Prince Of Nothing Charming” became yet another Top 10 entry on my chart for him. Ryan Star is another fantastic singer whose previous record company was doing nothing to help the release of new songs after some success in 2010 with the album 11:59. So he switched to Island Records and saw his single “Stay Awhile” (video below) released while he works on a new album. Phenomenal piano man Jon McLaughlin also parted ways with his previous record company only to sign a new deal with Razor & Tie after releasing the exceptional (and now, no longer available) Forever If Ever album independently. Two of his songs slid into the Top 10 and both long runs on the chart. “Promising Promises” was originally featured on Forever If Ever but ended up being the title song of his re-released album. And to whet our appetite for that album, Jon teamed up with Sara Bareilles in one of those pairings where the voices just go so well together. A rerecording of “Summer Is Over” (video below) was the song the singer was waiting for to throw him back into the spotlight after touring North America for most of the year.

His initial songs didn’t really draw me in, but I thought “Better Than I Know Myself” by Adam Lambert had a lot of personal conviction in the vocal performance, and showed a more vulnerable side of the singer, so it became his first chart entry for me. Darren Hayes’ third and final entry in this list peaked in January where some chartphiles carried over “Bloodstained Heart” from 2011 (that song was #22 on last year’s list). “Black Out The Sun” is a lilting and sombre affair led by another wonderful vocal by Darren. Another darker song captured with a fine and appropriate vocal is Jane Badler’s theatrical “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” (video below), a song that gets better with repeated listenings (there are also many delightful remixes available). The Australia-based actress best known for TV’s “V” is well on her way with another career as a pop singer. And did funky pop seem out of vogue? Not if you’re Sam Sparro, who released his sophomore album Return To Paradise mid-year with lead single “Happiness” in advance. The album is a moody but always danceable affair, and is much better as a long-player than to isolate most of the songs individually.

Singles still go very steady in my musical world. “Champagne” gave the start of the year its fizz courtesy of Australian singer Nelson Clemente. Converse shoes had a stroke of brilliance by creating a free download with a highly entertaining video (below) to promote its products. So Foster The People head honcho Mark Foster gets paired up with Canadian producer/DJ extraordinaire A-Trak for the song “Warrior”, and who gets to save the day not only in one of the year’s most entertaining videos, but as the song’s vocalist? New Zealand chanteuse Kimbra, who duetted with Gotye on the year’s biggest song “Somebody That I Used To Know”. US production duo The Knocks did the rather unthinkable – they transformed M83’s ethereal “Midnight City” into a 3 minute pop song with the help of singer Mandy Lee, in a free download and a fine video (also below) to showcase the singer. I ended up liking it even better than the original so it ranks in the Top 50. Minnesota’s Nicole Brenny, known as Vague-à-bonde, is an emerging talent to watch who is recording a new album as well as a video for the song that reached the Top 10 on my chart, “Evolved”. The song has a gentle vocal whose toe-tapping refrain throttles you and makes you want more. UK quartet Boy Banned seemed on the bubble to go on to big things by the end of 2011, however the bubble exploded when they split after the release of the immensely likeable “The Stars Are Saying Yes” and its utterly charming video (also below). “Only The Horses” by Scissor Sisters proved that this outfit can produce fine original pop singles that sparkle amid an inconsistent album, outside of its engaging presence in the dance/EDM community with fun records like “Let’s Have A Kiki”. “Horses” became their first Top 5 hit on my chart.

The remaining songs in this group are featured in albums that have held their own since their release. “Unheard” is a jaunty album track from Netherlands singer Jeronimo, whose song “It’s A Fun Thing” is the Cartoon Network theme song in the south Pacific part of the world. His unique voice and eagerness to please made his album One Kiss one of the most solid records of the year, even if it didn’t receive release in North America. Another song from that record ranks higher up on the list 🙂 Markus Riva’s “How It Feels To Be A Man” is the Latvian singer’s second entry on the chart, and one of the highlights of the year’s best dance compilations This Beat Is…Poptronik Volume One that morphed into a summer dance festival on the beaches outside of Barcelona. Volume Two and another festival are in the works for this year. Another song from the compilation is featured later on as well. I proclaimed Brooklyn’s Matt & Kim as pop music’s hardest working duo after partaking in their most enjoyable show, where they had to work around a power failure (with the effortless help of the audience). “Let’s Go” is the song and video (below) that took them back to a simple and basic but high energy sound on their latest album Lightning.

Boston sextet Gentlemen Hall are one of my 13 Performers to Watch for ’13 and mix journeyman rock in with powerful, lush instrumentation on their EP When We All Disappear, which is still available for free on their website. While every song on that EP is strong, it was the joyous “All Our Love” and its accompanying video (below) that captured my attention this past Spring. And what would the year be without me including two songs from Austin duo DATABOY’s Dreams Are Gold album? “Lotion” was initially released on the free Summer Now EP, which led up to the release of their long-awaited full album. That record contains some of the most entertaining and heartfelt songs of the year, all also designed to make you dance, one being “Genius”, which could be the new unofficial theme song for “The Big Bang Theory”. Without question, Dreams Are Gold is my favourite album of 2012, and you’ll find two more DATABOY songs much higher on this list in the next few days 🙂

BILLCS Music Blog’s Top 75 Songs of 2012 – #75 to #61

As in other years, most of my favourite songs of 2012 boiled down to the following criteria: Music that makes you feel good and want to dance along, and voices/lyrics that just amazed. There were several new great voices and faces, some returnees, and of course the completely unexpected. In order to appear on this list, a song must have appeared and peaked on my personal chart between January 2 and December 17 published charts. If it hadn’t attained its peak position yet, it will appear on my year end chart for 2013.

Click here to view songs #75 to #61 🙂

Three carryovers into 2012 in our first group of #75 through #61 are The Midway State’s “Fire!”, Lady GaGa’s “Marry The Night”, and “Angel” by Darren Hayes. Wrapping up their touring on their Paris Or India album, Toronto quartet The Midway State otherwise took a break from music in 2012, and I hope these talented friends will engage us again next year. You could hear an excerpt of “Fire!” in Bell Canada commercials, and of course their biggest hit “Never Again” is the ringback for Rogers cellular phones. GaGa was everywhere in 2012, it’s hard to say where The Born This Way Ball didn’t visit! But a new Ball is on deck as is her forthcoming album ARTPOP, and I’m expecting a new single sometime in early 2013 to promote her touring in North America. “Angel” by Darren Hayes was a personal choice to carry over. You couldn’t possibly ask for a more reverent Madonna cover choice – it kept appearing on my iPod Touch shuffle, and as the vinyl flip side to “Talk Talk Talk”, it landed on my chart after the run of another song on this list, “Stupid Mistake”. Darren’s Secret Codes And Battleships continued to be one of my most played albums into 2012, and one more carryover from that album is ranked higher on this list. Watch the stunning video for “Stupid Mistake” and listen to Bright Light Bright Light’s percolating remix below as well.

More than ever, my chart contained a cornucopia of worldwide artists appear more than in any other year in recent memory. Music has no official borders, only those that the music industry continues to put up which hinders availability of recordings and the ability of performers to tour. Latvia is represented with singer/DJ/model Markus Riva and his dance rave-up “We Dance 4 Reason”, with another song to follow higher up. “Turn It Up” is the high energy follow up to “Pitiful” for Portugal’s Carlos Nobrega, who is one of my 13 Performers to Watch for ’13 and has another song much later in the countdown. The worldwide breakout from France this year is M83 whose hook from “Midnight City” (outstanding video below) is imprinted on the year (and an even better cover version appears higher up on the list), which led to sellout shows around the world. Canadians Marianas Trench had their most successful year ever with last year’s Ever After album and the single “Fallout” among others. Lead singer Josh Ramsay not only produced that album but is now a Grammy-nominee for co-writing Canadian label mate Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe”. German DJ/producers Spencer & Hill paired up with the always amazing US vocalist Nadia Ali for “Believe It”, which is your dance song for weekend release after a hard work week.

There are three UK artists in this group. Keane had a successful year around the world with their Strangeland album, led by the glorious “Silenced By The Night” this past Spring. “Lights Out” was the second single from duo Bim’s EP of affecting and emotional electropop, Lifelines. Bim are another of my 13 Performers to Watch for ’13 And a favourite from her Little Belter shows and the subsequent album, Elouise covered “Could It Be Magic” – less like the Barry Manilow version and more like Donna Summer’s – which turned out to be somewhat bittersweet as the song appeared on my chart at the time of the disco legend’s death. Elouise is off to dazzle Australian audiences with the Little Belter show in early ’13 – the rest of the world will undoubtedly follow.

Three USA performers round out the list. L.A. quartet Saint Motel released a quirky but very smart album Voyeur this past summer, and toured to support it. The band’s singer also is responsible for directing the group’s unique videos, so check out the one for “Benny Goodman” below. Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die” dominated airwaves and TV video play at the top of the year and solidified her instant presence on the pop music scene (strangely yielding no Grammy nominations). And the mixtape Hunter by Baiyu, generating the title song on this list, dazzled enough people to land her as a contestant on The CW’s “The Next” and on my 13 Performers To Watch for ’13 list.

13 Performers To Watch for ’13

One of the most popular blog post’s I’ve written – even these past three years, it still receives many views – is 10 Performers to Watch in 2010. I revived the format of that post for 2013, as there are too many promising performers who should not go without notice. My criteria for this list is that the performer is releasing songs either for purchase or free download, and did not just issue one song in 2012. The performer could be releasing a debut or sophomore album, and may already be signed to a major label.

BAIYU exquisite vocalist to soar beyond “The Next”

I was absolutely delighted when New York singer Baiyu was set to appear as a contestant on the CW’s talent contest “The Next”. She also released a high quality mixtape called Hunter, which contained beautiful ballads, such as the duet with American Idol contestant Paul Kim on “Make Believe” (video below), and sinewy uptempo songs such as the title song. She didn’t win the New York auditions on “The Next” (to me the show compromised the singer’s style with what they wanted to show on TV) but received exposure to-die-for, and recorded a few other viral cover versions including Melanie Fiona’s “4 AM” and even the Jonas Brothers’ “Paranoid” to tantalize Jonas Brothers fans who got to know her through “The Next” (since Joe Jonas was a judge). I’m not sure what Baiyu has planned for ’13, but I expect it will be well-planned and chosen, and I can’t wait. Her gorgeous Beyoncé-like voice at times could put her easily in the big leagues.

CODY BELEW our likeable multi-talented underdog from “The Voice”

Nobody, but nobody, captured my attention on this past season of “The Voice” like Cody Belew. From his initial performance of “Hard To Handle” (which caused coach Cee-Lo Green to turnaround at the last moment) through compelling renditions of “Jolene”, “Somebody To Love”, the deliberately and massively campy “Crazy In Love” (video below, because it’s just so much fun), and especially George Michael’s “One More Try”, it was easy to root for Cody, who just seized every opportunity to win over both coaches and fans alike. The transition to nation-wide concerts will be easy, but more critical will be what he records. All eyes and ears on Cody in ’13!

BIM UK duo flaunts their emotions

As I predicted last September, Bim’s EP Lifelines has become one of my favourite and most consistent records of 2012, and their second album is on deck for early ’13. I stand by my earlier statement that every song within Lifelines – particularly “Lights Out”, current single “Burn” (video below), and “Scream” – is full of intense emotion, powerful vocal interaction, and key lyrical moments that resonate long after the song is over. Rebecca Rosier and Denmark Davis are a dream team, and I for one can’t get enough.

GENTLEMEN HALL Boston collective’s fans are its anchor

After catching the sextet’s appearance at Canadian Music Week in March, I found their EP When We All Disappear growing on me throughout the year, and it is one of my most played records. The multi-layered instrumentation (including glorious flute) and compelling lead vocals from Cobi Mike and Gavin Merlot made each song from the record a rich experience, especially “All Our Love”, “Blush” (below), and “Take Me Under”. Gentlemen Hall has a dedicated following, and quite frankly they could be contently touring every club in North America to appease their fans instead of signing their lives away to a record deal. But I think the right deal will come along in ’13 for Gentlemen Hall that will take them to the next level for which they clearly are more than ready.

IN MY COMA Toronto trio brings out the rocker in you

It’s been on release for more than a year now, but Magnets & Miracles, the debut album by Toronto rockers In My Coma, definitely has durability with its contemporary take on 90’s alt.rock styles through songs like “Believe Me” (video below), “Dreamers”, “Hit Them Down Kid”, and “Losing Sleep”. Part of the reason for the appeal, which seems to be increasing month-by-month, is the band’s ability to connect with fans and pull out the rockers in them which keeps them coming back to their shows, to the point where they won a contest to open for Sum 41 in Toronto in the Fall. Keeping this strategy in place, the next logical step is a new record of songs, always tough to do when gigs are what bring fans to the table. Timing will be everything for In My Coma in ’13 to maintain their momentum – but with their determination they can do it!

MATTHEW KOMA major pop voice sounds like no other

Regular readers will know that part of the last quarter of 2012 was spent with me raving about Matthew Koma, his collaboration with Zedd on Billboard’s #1 Dance Club Play chart single of the year “Spectrum”, and his diverse EP Parachute. Matthew is Major Pop 2012, signed to Cherrytree/Interscope, and his distinct voice sounds like no other – in fact you might think on “Spectrum” and other songs that he is a teen instead of a mid-20-something. Matthew’s finishing off his upcoming album which is a high priority for me to hear in 2013. That he is also guy-friend to my fellow Canadian Carly Rae Jepsen is pretty sweet, too.

MATTHEW KURZ supurb singer/songwriter has it almost in spades

Matthew Kurz has tantalized me throughout the last two years, first with his free mixtape from last year featuring the gripping and emotional “Fix Me”, and then with a series of originals and cover versions that were posted through You Tube. Though he hasn’t released much for commercial sale or for free this year, 2012 is pointing in all of the right directions for Matthew with “Moving On” (available on iTunes), but most particularly “One Night (Damn!)” (below), and an absolutely stunning rendition of David Guetta & Sia’s “Titanium”. While the latter wisely does not attempt to replicate Sia’s higher register, Matthew makes the song his own with its raw urgency. While I believe he has a songwriting publishing deal, Matthew Kurz’s many talents and music should find a wider audience in ’13.

LAWSON UK quartet on the bubble for North America

While the year started off with talented UK foursome Lawson opening in North America for The Wanted, the band was also in the process of recording its debut album for Polydor/Universal UK, Chapman Square. So once that was done they made a retreat to their native UK to promote singles “When She Was Mine” (video below), “Standing In The Dark”, and “Taking Over Me”, all significant hits in the UK. Chapman Square was released… but not in North America. But upcoming club dates over here should draw out the fans who have become familiar enough with this band that writes its own songs and plays its own instruments to divert their attention from One Direction and The Wanted. Lawson has the goods and 2013 should be a breakout year for them.

ANDREAS MOE can sing anything. writes his own songs too.

2012 has been a whirlwind for Swedish singer/songwriter Andreas Moe. Dance music fans discovered him as a featured vocalist on songs by Avicii (with whom he performed in Japan!) and John De Sohn (“Long Time” is one of the biggest hits of the year in Sweden). But Andreas wisely used these successes as a springboard for his own solo work, captured beautifully in his EP Collecting Sunlight, and especially on the title song (animated video below), “My Side Of The Bed”, and his acoustic rendition of “Long Time”. He even posted a sparkling acoustic performance of Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” right after its release. But Andreas has one of those grounded and diverse voices that can sing anything. I think greater things are in store for him as both a songwriter and a performer in ’13!

CARLOS NOBREGA balancing the pop and EDM worlds and more

Like a few other performers this year, I first discovered Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega through the essential dance compilation This Beat Is… Poptronik Volume One, where his plaintive pop song “Pitiful” was featured. With the EDM community embracing the singer as a result of this affiliation, Carlos next released “Turn It Up” in June, and the infectious chorus of this song will lift you up and keep you on a high. Then he collaborated with producer/DJ Sky Santos for the sultry “I Miss You”, which led in nicely to one of the best (and still somewhat undiscovered) dance party songs of the year, “Music Makes You Lose Control”, a record that reached #1 on my personal chart. Carlos is another performer who can do it all – sing, write, act, dance, and release all of his songs independently. The sheer quality of his releases and his determination should make heads turn when his album is released in 2013.

RIVER TIBER engaging and unique talent not to be missed

The music of Toronto’s River Tiber has been discussed at length in these posts since the Spring, after I became acquainted with their album From Now On, from which three songs landed on my personal chart, with “Someday” at #1 for six weeks and “Symmetry” reaching #2. Three concert performances later, and the third one, which I wrote about right here a few weeks ago, speaks for itself. River Tiber releases its next effort Synapses on January 1, and there will be much more influence in this record by experimental electronica than in From Now On. It is not to be missed. Let the additional raves begin. Watch out 2013!

STONE WALTERS honest-to-goodness earthy UK soul

One of the first free downloads I heard to make its way up my personal chart in 2012 was “Home” by Stone Walters. The song has lyrics rooted in values that anyone can relate to – you know the same ones that you feel at the end of “The Wizard Of Oz”. Stone has one of those silky smooth voices that could be as easily influenced by classic Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder, as it could by more contemporary singers like Terence Trent D’Arby or Jay Kay of Jamiroquai. Stone also showed that his boundaries stretch beyond soul with the pop tune “World Keeps Turning” and his softened-down version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark”. While he had a taste of some success a few years back, his more recent songs sound more honest-to-goodness. Stone Walters deserves another shot as he will easily find an audience that will gravitate to his style and music.

ZAC POOR no vocal talent contest required

L.A. based singer/songwriter Zac Poor came to my attention a few years back with an initial release of his own songs such as “She’ll Be Breaking Hearts” and “Silver Screens”, which all attracted some significant buzz… and then it went quiet for a bit. I think Zac has either a songwriting or record deal that has not yet come to fruition. But two cover songs he released this past year will surely change that. The first one is his take on Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper”. It’s been oft-covered, but never this well, and it totally blows the doors off of the original with a vocal performance that is sheer perfection, and understated production by MdL. Had it seen proper release, it could have been a hit all on its own! Next up was an appealing version of Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House”. All of this bodes very well for something significant to happen for Zac Poor in ’13.

The Softer Side: Dido, Travis Garland, Almost Charlie, and The Autumn Portrait

Where I reside of course it is now winter and the temperatures are dropping below freezing this week. So time to curl up with a cup of tea and some songs on the softer side.

DIDO featuring KENDRICK LAMAR “Let Us Move On”

Dido’s No Angel was one of my most played albums at the turn of the millennium, with the stunning “Here With Me” (which also served as the theme to the TV show “Roswell”) my #1 song of 2000. She’s back with her fourth album due in the Spring, mixing things up a bit on “Let Us Move On”. While the song doesn’t break any new ground for the UK singer, it is a great piece of positive songwriting, punctuated nicely by Kendrick Lamar’s verses, with his inclusion obviously inspired by brother and co-producer Rollo’s work including with the seminal dance band Faithless. “Let Us Move On” could find its way to audiences who gravitated to Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” in time.

TRAVIS GARLAND “Diamonds/Adorn”

Did we need yet another rendition of “Diamonds”? Probably not, but the singer performing it after a gazillion cover versions is important. I was pleased to hear Travis Garland again, after thinking the Texas singer who brought us “Believe” a few years back was M.I.A. in this strange music biz. Nope, just my oversight, in fact he’s got a new EP Fashionably Late for free download at his website, and I’ll be checking that out. But getting back to what you might have thought could be a questionable mashup, it is in fact extremely clever, and Rihanna’s Sia song and Miguel’s ballad blend beautifully. Plus, Travis’ pipes just soar at the right times, and if his vocal wasn’t so strong the whole thing might have fallen apart.

ALMOST CHARLIE Tomorrow’s Yesterday

Tomorrow’s Yesterday is the third album from Almost Charlie, aka German singer and multi-instrumentalist Dirk Homuth. It’s a pretty straight-forward concoction of high quality soft pop/rock/folk, which immediately recalls The Beatles (and John, Paul, and George’s solo work too), Simon & Garfunkel, Klaatu, and more. The project is called Almost Charlie because of ‘fifth Beatle’ Charlie Mason, who writes all of the lyrics but does not perform. Dirk’s vocals and arrangements execute compelling songs of varying moods and paces such as “Still Crazy ‘Bout You After All These Years” (my personal favourite), “When Venus Surrenders”, “Nice Place To Die”, “Open Book”, and the title song. For those who like their coffee crisp and their tea brisk, Tomorrow’s Yesterday offers many pleasures to wind away your day. Listen to “Open Book” and “Tomorrow’s Yesterday” below, and purchase the album through the Almost Charlie website.

THE AUTUMN PORTRAIT Tired Love

The Autumn Portrait is the band name for Canadian singer Freddie Mojallal, and Tired Love is his second album release. It’s a quick run-through of songs mainly about heartbreak, and we know how good tunes can sound when they get up close and personal. Freddie achieves his promising presentation through sometimes sparse and ragged (almost live off the floor) recordings. Think perhaps of the ‘whisper rock’ of Joshua Radin and a less poetic Adam Cohen, and The Autumn Portrait’s music is somewhere in the middle. The best and most affecting song is the album closer “Ghost”, with other standouts being “Spain”, “Take Me Home”, and “Can I Come Back Home”. Freddie has been gigging around Toronto so you might want to check out his show as well. You can buy Tired Love on iTunes. Watch the video for “Spain” below.

BILLCS Top 30 #394 – December 17, 2012

“Parachute” by Matthew Koma becomes the New York singer’s second #1 of 2012 (heading into 2013 – this is my 2012-ending chart – the next one for December 31 counts towards 2013), following his partnership with Zedd on Billboard’s #1 Dance Club Play song of the year, “Spectrum”. I would actually put money on the fact that Matthew will be one of the Ones to Watch for 2013, given the quality of his EP Parachute. In fact, his spirited and edgy rocker “1998” is the chart’s fastest riser, moving 19-6. I can’t wait for the full album to hear what else Matthew has been up to.

“Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia & John Martin is still going strong at #2, while “Yeah Yeah” by the currently-touring Willy Moon soars to #3 and will challenge “Parachute” in the coming weeks to find which song sticks in my head the most! With the recent release of Almeria, Lifehouse & Natasha Bedingfield (video above) hold steady at #4 with “Between The Raindrops” and the band (whose 7^th Top 10 entry this is on my chart) will undoubtedly promote the album with another single release. The long-lasting “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega sticks tight at #5 and – spoiler! – will rank highly on my Best of 2012 year end list, which will come to you gradually starting on December 26.

One of the joys about creating a personal chart is to see independent releases alongside of major label names, and quite often this chart consists more than 50% of indies. It started off as a free download, and now an album is in progress for Vague-à-bonde as the Minnesota-based singer holds at #7 with “Evolved” (ab0ve). Right behind at #8 are Matt & Kim, whose main aim is fun, as songs from their album Lightning articulate, with “Let’s Go” (and further down with “Now” at #20). Tao Hypah’s dance pop of another colour is at #9 with “Play The Girl” – Mr. Hypah’s 2^nd Top Tenner following the #3 “Celeb”, which will also appear in good company on my year end list. Call it a jam-packed Top 10 finishing off with Adele’s “Skyfall”. It’s her 5^th Top Tenner on the chart.

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

More indies on the rise just outside of the Top 10 – Kid Massive & DATABOY, Chris Wallace, Arty/Nadia Ali/BT, and Bim – with a special mention going to Chris for achieving airplay in New York with one of this year’s special songs “Remember When (Push Rewind)”, which has also been in Mediabase’s Top 40 for weeks and is still climbing. Chris also debuts on the chart with “Keep Me Crazy” (ab0ve) at #29, recently free on Amazon in the USA. “Time Bomb (Walk Away)” (#12), “Remember When”, and “Keep Me Crazy” can all be found on Chris’ excellent album Push Rewind. Rounding out the other indies, “O.V.E.R. U.” by Daniel Bedingfield climbs to #16, while “Fast As I Can” by Frankmusik jumps to #19 as the singer now records his album You Are Here (and promises an acoustic piano version of it too!).

There are no surprises as the release of Synapses approaches that River Tiber debuts at #22 with their 4^th chart entry “What Are You Afraid Of”, which is still available as a free download on the Toronto band’s Soundcloud page. If you’re in Toronto, catch them on January 3 for an album release party at the Drake Hotel. I’ve already written about Passion Pit’s weirdly anthemic “Take A Walk” (#24), and now I’ve heard it locally on radio too! There was an overdose of Ne-Yo on TV two weeks ago and “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)” (above) has become embedded in my ears, so it somewhat belatedly arrives on the chart at #26. It’s the singer’s 7^th chart entry and first since he appeared on Keri Hilson’s “Knock You Down” in 2009. Last but by no means least at #30 is “Miss Unknown” by the talented Eric Saade, which I wrote about on the weekend and might be a game-changer for the singer if people embrace the softer side of his music along with a mostly delightful video. It’s already his 7^th song to appear on my chart since “Popular” (my #1 song of 2011) started the ball rolling.

POLL: Vote for New Eric Saade Songs/Videos for “Miss Unknown” and “Marching (In The Name Of Love)”

Last week, Sweden’s Eric Saade unleashed his video for “Marching (In The Name Of Love)”, and then I found out “Miss Unknown” would be launched this week, so after more than three years of writing this blog, I thought I would have my first poll!!

“Marching” seems to have lots going on, possibly three plots, including some snazzy Janet Jackson “Control” era choreography. Eric is being held against his will and must escape. There are flashes to scenes with his girl… is he dreaming… is it in the past or yet to come? Then, busting those swift moves the way we’ve seen in scenes from his shows. Story to be continued. The story moves along smoothly to the song, but I’m not sure if I’m liking the song any better for it. I’m still having a tough time with the sound that seems more will.i.am than Eric Saa-aade.

“Miss Unknown”, on the other hand, greatly enhances the song with a story about what looks like a one night stand… or is it? Not if Eric has his way, which gives way for all kinds of expressive angst and emotion to try to find That Girl. BUT… wait for the ending. It seems like someone didn’t know how to end it or wanted to add shock value or humour. It doesn’t work, but overall I like both the video and song for “Miss Unknown” better than “Marching”.

Now that I’ve said my peace – and I’m still more thrilled with songs from either Saade Volume 1 or 2 over both of these – what do YOU think?

Take the simple poll below and in a week, providing I get enough response, I will reveal which video/song is the winner!

Autumn Popervescence #3 featuring JMSN, Passion Pit, Shiny Toy Guns, Parralox, Krewella, Evanpony, and Mark Hildreth

JMSN “Fallin'”

As 2012 comes to a close, it ends almost the way we started, with a new, magnetic video from JMSN’s independent album †Priscilla† which was released back in January. Some of the videos have been difficult to watch with the bleak and unnerving images the singer chose to employ to explain his songs. “Fallin'” is perhaps the most accessible of the lot, with JMSN as an innocent in the centre of a world which too often requires us to make the wrong choices. Throughout the year JMSN has also released numerous remixes of the songs from †Priscilla† which you can hunt down, including a Slim K “Chopped and Screwed” slowdown rework of the entire album which still boggles me. Watch the video of “Fallin'” below.

Passion Pit “Take A Walk”

Some people may say I’m late to the game on Passion Pit, but to me you’re never too late when someone’s music warms up to you. After listening to various songs from the Massachusetts quintet’s sophomore album Gossamer this year, their performance on Saturday Night Live and in particular the highly watchable guess-what’s-next video for “Take A Walk” drew me in. It helps that Michael Angelakos vocally reminds me a lot of Michael Penn circa “No Myth”! Now I think their tour with Matt & Kim next year will be high on my list to see. Watch “Take A Walk” below.

Shiny Toy Guns “Somewhere To Hide”

If “Somewhere To Hide” is any indication, the return of vocalist Carah Faye Charnow may have been the best thing to happen to the California quartet since its mid-80’s successes with “You Are The One” and “Le Disko”, which appeared in the Grammy-nominated We Are Pilots album. With new album III on release, “Somewhere To Hide” is unpretentious and gleaming electronica complemented by a video telling a tale of love in some futuristic world. Watch the video using the Vimeo link below.

http://vimeo.com/47686603

Parralox “Sharper Than A Knife”

Never let it be said that recycling an older song can’t work. In fact Aussie duo Parralox have done just that with “Sharper Than A Knife”, which appeared on their 2008 release Electricity. After more recent success stemming from the appearance of the song “Hotter” on the year’s best dance compilation This Beat Is….Poptronik Volume One, Amii and John have created a video that looks alternately like The Donna Reed Show and an Alfred Hitchcock movie, with Madonna-esque performance shots interspersed. “Sharper Than A Knife” is inspired electronic pop candy. Watch below.

Krewella “Killin’ It”

Chicago electronica trio Krewella return after being touted these past few years by the likes of Grammys blogger Arjan Writes for songs like “Gameplan”, and producing remixes for artists such as Skrillex. “Killin’ It” (video below) was actually released earlier this year as a part of the Play Hard EP, but the band has reinvented the song in a multitude of remixes in the form of the new Play Harder, which you can hear on their Soundcloud page. Oodles of freebies can be had for download on their Facebook page. Fans of BT, Deadmau5, FrankMusik and more should keep Krewella on their radar.

Evanpony “Just Rock With Me”

One of the most entertaining videos I’ve seen recently is “Just Rock With Me”, which is actually a pairing of Japanese girl group Stereopony (which I believe has since disbanded) and fave L.A.-based singer/songwriter Evan Taubenfeld (yes, he of Welcome To The Blacklist Club, featuring “Cheater Of The Year” (a #1 on my chart), “Boy Meets Girl”, and “Pumpkin Pie”(both Top 5)). Just takes me back to when I was a kid viewing Japanese monster movies for the first time – albeit with a modern twist. I’m hoping Evanpony will record more, and perhaps in English 🙂 Watch using the Vimeo link below and have fun.

http://vimeo.com/52091228

Mark Hildreth “Magic Spell”

Canadian actor Mark Hildreth, whom you may have seen recently in TV’s The Tutors or heard as a voice in many a cartoon (or know as boyfriend to Smallville and Beauty & The Beast’s Kristen Kreuk) is also a most capable vocalist, as his silky mid-tempo dance song “Magic Spell” reveals. It’s from his upcoming album Signs Of Life, due for release next year. And as some of you may notice, there’s an interesting connection to my personal chart – he also starred in the 2009 reboot of TV’s sci-fi show V alongside none other than Jane Badler (#8 on my chart with her “Yesterday’s Tomorrows”). Watch “Magic Spell” below.

River Tiber in concert (Watch Out 2013)!!

I take this pause in reviewing songs, albums and videos to rave about River Tiber’s concert in Toronto last night in anticipation of their new album Synapses due January 1.

As regular readers know, I have been touting multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Tommy Paxton-Beesley and his band since first hearing their From Now On album at the top of this year. I’ve now seen three shows by them, heard the Remixes and Massachusetts EP’s, as well as two songs from the upcoming album, “What Are You Afraid Of” (video below, created and directed by Tommy) and “I’m Not Here” (also listen below). By far, last night’s experience epitomizes why I go out to club shows to see new performers as well as my favourites. You end up seeing a show that you were glad not to miss.

The set mainly focuses on untried new material, book-ended by “Someday” at the top and “These Are Centuries” (which both landed up my chart earlier in the year, at #1 and #13 respectively) at the end. The rest of the show – which included “What Are You Afraid Of” – introduced a new River Tiber, incorporating ace guitar, bass, and drums/percussion work, as well as Tommy’s striking Jeff Buckley-esque vocals (hope you won’t get tired of that comparison ’cause it’s true 🙂 )which gave me chills of the best kind, along with very layered keyboard sounds and drum effects which might not sound out of place next to songs by the Chemical Brothers or Gorillaz. The club (Silver Dollar Room) where it was held is noted for showcasing Blues, Jazz and Folk performers, and regulars to this club might have seemed like fish out of water last night, but it was clear from the attention being paid to the show that River Tiber totally won them over.

Watch my Twitter feed for more River Tiber news, including upcoming shows – if you’re in Toronto in early January for the next one, which will be a CD release show, you won’t want to miss it.

BILLCS Top 30 #393 – December 3/12

I think we should be seeing some new blood invading the chart soon. In the meantime…

“Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia & John Martin holds at #1, while “Parachute” from Matthew Koma’s EP of the same name is now at #2 and looks to follow his pairing with Zedd on “Spectrum” (#10) to the top spot. “Music Makes Me Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega hangs tough at #3, while the understated (and unfortunately underperforming) “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse & Natasha Bedingfield zips up to #4. Lifehouse’s Almeria will be on release before the next chart on December 17. And Bright Light Bright Light gets yet another Top 5er with “Feel It”. Do go to this link for BLx2’s musical Christmas Advent calendar of mashups – today he meshed his own “Moves” with “Your Loving Arms”, the classic 90’s club hit by Billie Ray Martin (listen and download below).

In the ‘movin’ on up’ category, we find a contender for the top bounding up to #6 – “Yeah Yeah” by Willy Moon (stylish video up top), who performs two gigs in New York City this week. “Evolved” by Vague-à-bonde continues to impress by rising to #7, and “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler (who is in Sweden, for fans of “V” – video below) moves to #8. “Let’s Go” by Matt & Kim becomes their third Top Tenner on this chart at #9.

Not to be outdone, “Skyfall” by Adele is no slouch at #12, while the fastest riser on the chart is the infectious controversy-generating “Play The Girl” by The Netherlands’ Tao Hypah, vaulting 21-13. It’s just one of those songs that has a message which is totally secondary to its engaging melody and chorus. “Good Girlfriend” by Kid Massive & DATABOY and “Must Be the Love” by Arty, Nadia Ali & BT continue to follow each other’s dance steps up the chart at #14 and #15 respectively. Bim’s “Burn” continues to sear its way up at #17, with last week’s pop parade of “Time Bomb (Walk Away)” by Chris Wallace and “1998” by Matthew Koma” in tow at #18 and #19, as well as Daniel Bedingfield’s “O.V.E.R. U.” at #21.

The three debuts have already been written about in these pages so absolutely no surprise that they land on the chart. “Fast As I Can” bows at #25 and is the first independently released single by FrankMusik from his upcoming album You Are here, due at end of January. As good as the song is, this one revels in a powerful, soulful Vincent Frank vocal. Vince also posted a most beautiful demo of a ballad recently called “Shores” – do give a listen below. Matt & Kim score entry #2 from their Lightning album with “Now” at #27 (live clip below). After the duo take a well-deserved break from touring, they will be back at it with Passion Pit in the new year.

Finally, The Presets arrive at #29 with “Youth In Trouble” from their Pacifica album (live clip below). The song was the first video we saw and has resonated much longer than the official single “Ghosts”. The duo will be back in home country Australia in the new year for more dates.