Tuned-On! Top 30 #365 – November 7/11… and a few new songs too

My new personal chart in this edition is fairly peripatetic, with songs moving here, moving there… nothing is static this time around.  Plus, there are five debuts on the chart, and I’ll have some even newer songs to discuss afterwords.

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.

Don’t let the lone chart topping appearance by Simon Curtis’ “Laser Guns Up” deceive you – it is one of my very favourite songs of 2011.  But on this chart it concedes to the hot and charming duet by Frankmusik and Colette Carr on “No I.D.”  It’s Mr. Frank’s second number one song of the year – the first was the underrated “The Fear Inside”.  And Frankmusik’s own “Do It In The A.M.” pairing with Far East Movement only got to #2 because it was bested by Simon’s immovable “Flesh” at the time.  Ah, such a great year for music 🙂

Simmering right below, and awaiting a delayed release later this month, is Rune RK & Databoy’s “Memorize Me”, which is definitely weaving an aural spell over me as it notches up to #3.  And the more I listen to Secret Codes And Battleships by Darren Hayes, the more I appreciate the sentiment and grandiose arrangement that accompanies “Bloodstained Heart”, which is the fastest riser on the chart, soaring 11-4.

Waiting at bay not far behind are a few songs that may find their way to the Top 5, “Pull The Trigger” by Adam Tyler, Penguin Prison’s “Fair Warning”, and Top 10 newbies (and really positive upbeat dance tunes) “Famous” by Audio Playground & Kardinal Offishall (or Randy Raymond en français – watch for other versions coming soon in more languages!) and young Dutch singer Matt Blue’s “Can’t Help Myself (Keep Dancing)”.

The exhilarating “Block After Block” by Matt And Kim, the dance-fantastic “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Agnes, and the silky-smoky “Metaphor” by Atlanta-based Nick Hagelin all reside just outside of the Top 10.  Further down, the activity continues from rising stars by Kyle Brylin, Adam Cohen, and Lana Del Rey, whose UK A-side to “Blue Jeans”, “Video Games”, is just shy of the Top 10 in that country.  Other debuts from last time, “White Horse” by Jessica 6 and Erasure’s “Then I Go Twisting”, look to gain pace in the coming weeks.

The five chart debuts should be no surprise because I’ve already spoken about them in previous weeks.  As I’ve also mentioned previously, I’m enjoying the wealth of a sudden spurt of great songs from very good if not excellent full album releases.

The opening song to the self-titled album by Penguin Prison is the blunt, fun, highly danceable and almost anthemic “Don’t Fuck With My Money”, which bows at #22 in advance of a forthcoming video (a live clip is at the top of this blog).  Fastlife by Joe Jonas keeps sounding better each time I play it – even if you never cared for Jonas Brothers songs, Joe’s recordings within should change your opinion.  A good start is the original version of “Just In Love”, which arrives at #24.  A clip from the “Ellen” show is right below.

I caught Jon McLaughlin’s show when he was in my city last week, and boy can he ever hammer that piano in true rock style.  And my favourite song from his new album Forever If Ever (which you can buy at his shows) sounded just terrific – that’s “Promising Promises”, with a stunning piano solo midway, which debuts at #25.  Check out a clip from that show of Jon playing “Industry” below this paragraph.  I knew it would happen eventually, but Darren Hayes’ other single (just not in Australia) from Secret Codes, “Black Out The Sun”, breaks through and lands at #27.  Lastly, Brazil-born Dutch singer Jeronimo has the makings of an international hit with the thoughtful ballad “Somebody Who Loves Me”.  The song (currently only available in Europe, alas) has crashed into the Dutch Top 40 and premieres on my chart at #28.

“Hotel” and “Alone” by JMSN

You’ve gotta give pop singer Christian Berishaj credit for tenacity.  The Detroit-bred songwriter and producer released three shockingly infectious dance pop songs in the last year – you know “When She Turns 18”, “I’m In Love”, and (my favourite) “Love 2 Baby” from these pages – but has now broke away from his Christian TV identity to focus on his music independently as JMSN.  In enigmatic style, he’s posted two languid and beautifully sung singles, “Hotel” and “Alone”, both for free.  But each song has been accompanied by mysterious, sometimes disturbing videos, so Christian is obviously is trying to tap into our other sensibilities.  Fortunately each video is compelling enough to make you want to know what’s going to happen next, so… keep watching for more videos (and clues).  Think David Lynch movies meet “Memento” and you might get a bit of the drift, but I could be wrong.  Watch the videos for “Hotel” and “Alone” below and download the songs for free right here.

“Hotel” by JMSN

“Alone” by JMSN

“Someone Like You” by Gavin Mikhail and “Someone Like You” by Austin Leadley

Adele’s “Someone Like You” has long been one of the reasons why I love her 21 album, and despite its current overplay status, it’s fantastic that I’ve come across two really strong takes on the song.  I’ve been touting Gavin Mikhail, another piano guy, for some time now, and he’s slowed down the pace for “Someone”, stretching it out over 6 minutes to offer his beautiful interpretation.  And my fellow Canadian, Austen Leadley, whose rendition of Katy Perry’s “Firework” I brought to your attention this past summer, has his admirable but more pop-oriented version of the song to hear as well.  I think you’ll be equally pleased with either version – enjoy!

“Someone Like You” by Gavin Mikhail

“Someone Like You” by Austen Leadley

“Fire!” by The Midway State

Following the more laid back, peaceful style of first single “Atlantic”, The Midway State have launched their second single from Paris Or India called “Fire!” amid regular touring.  This rocking video and song perfectly captures the in-concert essence of the talented quartet.  Watch below.

“When I Think About Sex” by Osvaldo Supino

Rising 26 year old Italian singer Osvaldo Supino, has graced us with a few saucy and amusing songs over the past few years.  But he’s reached for something entirely obvious this time – after all, just when do you think about sex?   And thus we have the makings of a song that could find favour in dance clubs internationally, but without the sometimes dreaded curse of being too campy for its own good.  So listen along and shake those hips, there’s a really good song here with a lot of truth within its words, so do have fun with it.  Click on the pic to hear it below.

Chris Isaak goes “Beyond The Sun”

It’s absolutely no secret.  Chris Isaak could record an album of Swedish electropop (in Swedish, even) or death metal (in discernible English), and I’d be sure to listen.  And while the talented singer, songwriter and guitarist from Stockton, California doesn’t often dip into cover tunes – recorded versions of Neil Diamond’s “Solitary Man”, Roy Orbison’s “Only The Lonely”, and Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me” only come to mind – he has stepped back into rock and roll archives for his latest album Beyond The Sun.

There’s a little bit of irony here too.  For someone on whom the 50’s and 60’s days of rock and roll embeds its style and attitude, all of Chris Isaak’s own records were released in the compact disc era of music, just as vinyl sales were fading.  But now that vinyl is finding favour again, Beyond The Sun would sound just fine on a 12″ platter.

Beyond The Sun is Chris’ tribute to the Sun Records label, which gave so many early rock and rollers their start, including of course Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis.  The record was also recorded at the Sun studios in Memphis.  Songs from those singers are offered here in Chris’ own style, which sometimes resembles those recordings, and more often does not.  While the record is exceptionally made, it will mainly appeal to Chris Isaak completists as well as fans of the era it represents, which is probably why prominent folk/pop label Vanguard Records signed Chris after he left Reprise/Warner.

While standards like Elvis’ “I Forgot To Remember To Forget” and “It’s Now Or Never”, as well as one of his lesser known and earliest songs, “My Happiness” (once again featuring vocals by Michelle Branch, like on Chris’ last studio album, 2009’s Mr. Lucky), are evocative of Elvis’ style with Chris Isaak flair, and while we get to hear Chris flex his tenor-maybe-baritone range on Cash’s “I Walk The Line”, it’s the more obscure songs that really represent Beyond The Sun well.  

I’m talking particularly about “Miss Pearl” (a live clip is at the bottom of this blog), a rave up from the early 50’s by Jimmy Wages, and the fun “Dixie Fried”, which was recorded by Carl Perkins.  These songs fit snugly into Chris’ repertoire and would sound great in concert.  Aside from these, I blogged about “Live It Up” back in August, when it was issued as a free download.  It’s Chris’ lone original composition in the package and it sizzles next to all of these songs.  

There are no negatives here, but let’s just say that his convincing renditions of Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” or Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” won’t be the songs you remember most about Beyond The Sun.

For the ultra faithful, the deluxe version of Beyond The Sun contains 11 more songs, including Chris’ versions of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” (which I’m sure I’ve heard at one of his concerts), Lewis’ “That Lucky Old Sun”, Elvis’ “My Baby Left Me”, and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Everybody’s In The Mood”, along with another Chris Isaak original ‘Lovely Loretta” (again I think I’ve heard this one at one of his shows).

While I can never get enough of Chris Isaak’s own rocking tunes and pretty, sad, love songs, Beyond The Sun certainly achieves what he wanted and more.  Sam Phillips would be proud.

Get To Know Penguin Prison’s Self-Titled Debut Album

There are very few performers who are doing so much that’s so right and deserve to break out big time as Penguin Prison, the band fronted by the musical chameleon that is New Yorker Chris Glover.

Penguin Prison arrived on the scene with a single in 2009, which was followed by… more singles.  But for the most part, they formed a portion of my essential soundtrack of 2010 and 2011.  The quirky, dark, Caribbean flavour of “Something I’m Not” was my intriguing introduction, and then came something entirely different, a sunny, chipper, California-by-way-of-70s-Doobie Brothers tune called “The Worse It Gets”.  I didn’t care where Chris and his team were heading with this mélange... it’s all good… and it continued.  The new wave rock/dance raveup “Golden Train” arrived, in-between free online mixes which Chris posted.  And then he showed where his roots are – he mashed up “Golden Train” with Michael Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night”, a stroke of brilliance.

By the time of “Golden Train” I had already seen Penguin Prison in concert, which prepared me for the remixes that were unleashed for the Prince-anchored and excellent “Multi-Millionaire”.  Then Chris went back to an early recording for a variety of remixes of “Fair Warning”, including a punchy one by France’s Dirty Vegas (2002’s seminal “Days Go By”).

With the exception of the Jackson mashup, all of the singles above are included in Penguin Prison’s self-titled debut album in their original album versions, hence we get some additions, such as more lyrics that we hadn’t heard in remixes of “Fair Warning”.  These singles alone make the album worth buying; the rest of the top notch songs are bonuses.

The album doesn’t stay entirely on the dance club tip.  There’s a lot of early 80’s new wave influence in songs like the Gary Numan-sounding at times “Desert Cold” and the languid “Someone Got Everything”.

But when Penguin Prison is at its best, the 70’s and 80’s R&B colours shine through.  “Don’t Fuck With My Money”, the striking album opener, is essentially an anthemic rocker married with 70’s disco and R&B (watch for the video soon).  And Chris Glover is a supurb vocalist – listen to the power in “Money” and “Fair Warning” in particular.

This record will be most noted however for its vibrant dance club vibe.  There seems to be an entire undercurrent developing again, forging NYC disco with London dance, and we’re hearing it not only with Penguin Prison, but Jessica 6 and Lana Del Rey as well among others.

Don’t hesitate to scoot over to iTunes to grab Penguin Prison’s debut album.  I can’t wait to hear what Chris Glover comes up with next because there’s way more inside of his music than meets the ear.

Secret Codes And Battleships by Darren Hayes

After the diverse, experimental, and stunning magnum opus of This Delicate Thing We’ve Made four years ago, the question burning in my mind was: What could Darren Hayes do next?

So in a smart move, Darren took a few steps back along with a few steps forward, yielding Secret Codes And Battleships, his fourth solo album, which has married familiarity with new takes on the themes of sadness, ends of relationships, loves lost, and sometimes glimpses of hope.  Out of all of his albums, this is the one that gathers back Savage Garden fans with mainly wistful, classically tinged melodies and knowing lyrics.

The album was preceded by three singles, the infectious “Talk Talk Talk”, the complex and fatalistic “Black Out The Sun”, and the brilliant and remorseful “Bloodstained Heart”.  But it’s just as easy to get caught up in the rest of the songs.  “Roses” and “Stupid Mistake” are two new favourites, the former because of its inspiration that can be interpreted in many ways, and the latter because of its very human message but more so because of its stellar arrangement, capped with beautiful classical flourishes and winding down with a jazzy bass solo.

“Hurt” is a tough listen lyrically but its melody is as catchy as anything that’s been a hit for Savage Garden or Darren.  More likely to be a follow up single is “Don’t Give Up”, which name checks the album’s title and perhaps sheds the most amount of hope in one of the album’s songs.  The album’s title, to me, is all about the mystery of relationships, and those that simply go wrong as they battle on until there’s some kind of truce.

Opt for the deluxe version of the album if you can, and you’ll get five more equally excellent songs, and live versions of “Talk Talk Talk” and “Black Out The Sun”.  In fact three of my most favourite songs are among these five, being “Glorious” – sort of this album’s variation of “Casey”, not lyrically but musically, it’s the longest and most compelling song with another stunning classical ending – “Explode”, and “Nothing”.

I’ve saved the best for last though.  Aside from the sparkling melodies, lyrics and instrumentation, Secret Codes And Battleships is most noteworthy among Darren’s solo albums because it is a vocal tour-de-force for him.  He has never sounded better, even better than in Delicate Thing, whether he’s singing  stunning high notes or in his down-to-earth lower range.

Secret Codes And Battleships is a return to the style of songs of the more public Darren Hayes that the world got to know back when.  But it’s also a strong stylistic statement that captures some of the best unique qualities in pop music today.

Roundup: A Few Albums and Singles

There hasn’t been an imposing round of Autumn Popervescence singles just yet – but I’m sure there will be – so a roundup of some fine albums and singles over the next few blogs will be on deck.

Erasure – Tomorrow’s World

25 years after their first album Wonderland, and Andy Bell and Vince Clarke aren’t so much reinventing themselves as revitalizing their place inside the current electropop realm.  With more than able assistance of producer Frankmusik, they’ve recorded some of their best songs written in the last 15 years and have made contemporary what they’ve always done best after also recording many cover versions over the years.

Though the album overall has a feeling of restraint, the duo is best with their most uptempo numbers, particularly “Then I Go Twisting”, “Fill Us With Fire”, and “Whole Lotta Love Run Riot”.  But their touching side shows beautifully with songs like “When I Start (To Break It All Down)” (watch the live version below) and “Just When I Thought It Was Ending”.  

Like their best albums, Tomorrow’s World is well rounded and an overall pleasure to listen to, and of course, you better get on your dancing shoes.  Andy Bell is in fine voice and their concert in September (which was full of young fans of Frankmusik’s own mid-20’s age) showed me that they will be around recording wondrous stuff for as long as their fans will have them.

Joe Jonas – Fastlife

After what I consider to be a couple of misfired singles (“See No More” and the recent dance club hit “Love Slayer”), Fastlife is an incredibly big surprise of a debut for Joe Jonas.  Though it doesn’t quite make its mind up about whether or not to go in an electronic, R&B, or pure pop direction, it has enough of each to be immensely appealing.  And what is done well here is indeed very well done.

The second official single from the album, “Just In Love”, for one thing, is a sizzling and sultry mid-tempo 90’s oriented R&B ballad that works just fine in its original mix.  You’ll also find it available featuring Lil’ Wayne and in a couple of other remixes that don’t really add anything to change your view of the song.

But dive in deeper past the singles and there are rewards.  “Kleptomaniac” should be a real club banger with its swirling synths and urgent vocals.  “Not Right Now” and particularly “Make You Mine” are pop confections which succeed at broadening Joe’s pop horizons beyond the music of him and his brothers, who to me still may not have entirely come into their own despite all of their teen heart throb successes.

Fastlife should not be dismissed as a simple step away from the Jonas Brothers.  No doubt about it, Joe Jonas can easily have his own solo pop career and Fastlife is a great start that should not be underestimated.

Van Go Lion “Colors”

Portland electro-duo Amy Paige and Josh Hoertzel are back with “Colors”, following their summer mainstay for me this year called “We Don’t Miss A Beat”.  “Colors” glistens right into the wonders of Autumn, with delightful words that lilt along to a sunshiny melody.  While I would prefer to hear more of Amy’s soaring voice through the production, I look forward to more from these talented folks.  Listen to “Colors” below and download it for free.

Elspeth “Think Back” and “Starry”

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year and a half since I wrote about this young Irish quintet.  Suddenly, their album, Coax, is on deck for 2012, and the band has previewed it with two songs.  “Think Back” (video above) has some grungy undertones amid other atmospherics that recall a midpoint between Radiohead and The Script.  “Starry” (video below) is an acoustic effort that shines on sounds that recall groups from the past decade or so such as Travis and The Verve.  Elspeth wouldn’t sound out of place on the radio next to other bands like Parachute, Lifehouse, or The Fray.  Watch for these guys in 2012.

Lawson “Marry The Night”

Lawson is the latest four-guy band from England who could have a chance to cut it internationally.  This extremely flattering Lady GaGa acoustic cover suddenly makes the lyric universal and renders gentle the song’s normally propulsive rhythm.  Let’s hope Lawson can rise from the guise of a boyband into the vocal quartet that they really are.  You can get a much more produced pop/rock ballad in the form of “Red Sky” as a free download from their website.

More reviews to come in the week 🙂

Tuned-On! Top 30 #364 – October 24/11

It took a month and a half of waiting – thanks to the instantly overpowering effect of his duet on “Wicked Baby” with Ro Danishei, which held court for 6 weeks – but “Laser Guns Up” by Simon Curtis takes the top spot this week on my personal chart.  It’s one of the key reasons for you to buy his sophomore album R∆ on iTunes, and is one of a number of rousing and anthemic songs that will make you want more!  But right behind “Guns” are buddies Frankmusik and Colette Carr, whose duet on “No ID” is one of those reasons why music can make you smile, take you away for three minutes, and be happy in 2011.

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.

I’m going to talk about the highest debut on the chart now because this song has all the makings of being MASSIVE.  I previewed “Memorize Me” by Rune RK & Databoy this past summer, after the song found favour in the Ibiza club circuit, being touted by no less than the legendary Tiësto himself.  There are several reasons why this song launches at an impressive #5 on my chart.  The pairing of the two DJ teams is impressive.  You combine European DJ/producer Rune RK’s flair for creating Ibiza beach party anthems with Austin duo Databoy’s creativity and vocals, along with a seductive lyrical subtext, and voilà – “Memorize Me” is a true original.  Revel in each listen or dance your ass off, your choice 🙂  Way to go – I can’t get enough of this song right now.  It will be available imminently as a free download but for now you can listen to it right here.

The stunning debut of “Memorize Me” has created a bit of a backup on the chart for songs 6 through 11.  The infectious “Bad Dog” by Neon Hitch scoots up a notch to #6, while “Pull The Trigger” from Adam Tyler’s debut album Shattered Ice rises 9-7.  Adam is touring actively to promote the album, and “Trigger” looks to join past chart hits “Friction” and “I Won’t Let You Go” in my Top 5.

Penguin Prison’s self-titled album was finally released in North America this past week and I’ll have my comments on it in the week.  In the meantime the Dirty Vegas remix of “Fair Warning” moves 11-8.

Kyle Brylin’s “My Fizzy Pop” and Eric Saade’s “Stupid with You” round out the Top 10.  The prolific Kyle has more new music coming for you in his upcoming “Revenge” project, while Eric’s upcoming album Saade Volume Two drops on November 30, with a new single featuring Dev arriving next week.

Most of the rest of the Top 20 looks Top 10 bound.  Arriving this week in the rest of the world – Australia got the album last week – is Secret Codes And Battleships, the fourth solo album by Darren Hayes.  His compelling and heart-felt Australian single “Bloodstained Heart” rises to #11.  The song is available in a free download as a remix through Darren’s website by the talented Monsieur Adi right here.

“Famous” by Audio Playground is a certified hit in Canada and jumps to #12, while the smooth and sexy mid-tempo R&B ballad by Nick Hagelin called “Metaphor” moves up to #15.  Agnes’ powerful “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” jumps to #18, while “The Way I See” by Will Young rises to #19, and Kyle Brylin’s second chart entry, the late night club rave-up “Never Love A DJ”, climbs to #20.

The fastest riser on the chart is the contagious fun that is “Block After Block” by Matt & Kim, which soars 25-16.  The Brooklyn duo is playing a New Year’s show in NYC which is guaranteed to be a blast.  I’ve been getting into their album Sidewalks more and more these past few weeks.  Their music has an exhilarating and distracting effect – most needed right now!

Four more debuts round out the chart.  The Netherlands’ Matt Blue is a talent to watch for internationally in 2012.  His debut single “Can’t Help Myself (Keep Dancing)” has been released by Universal in most of the European countries and has started to breakout.  Despite its familiar formula, the song has such a terrific sincere performance showcasing Matt’s supurb vocals.  It debuts at #13.  Watch the video below.

Down further is one half of the debut single by American singer Lana Del Rey, who is based out of London and is finding some success initially in the Benelux countries.  “Blue Jeans” comes to us in the form of a sexy Penguin Prison remix.  I like it a lot better than its other half, “Video Games”.  Listen to “Blue Jeans” below.

At #25 is “White Horse” by New York trio Jessica 6, who I’m hoping to see in a club show in the coming weeks.  It’s part of the group’s disco-music-with-a-conscience, you can move along to this song effortlessly while singing the chorus that gets stuck in your head.  Take a look at the video below.  Not to be confused with the 80’s hit by Laid Back.

Rounding out the chart at #26 is “Then I Go Twisting”, one of the stellar songs from the Frankmusik-produced album Tomorrow’s World by UK dance pop veterans Erasure.  I’ll have my comments about Tomorrow’s World in the week.  In the meantime, you can listen to the entire album for yourself right here.

Lastly, I’m going to leave you with an incredibly guilty pleasure.  “I Like” is a new European dance single by DJ/producer Klaas and DJ/production duo Bodybangers.  It gets right into your face and into your head, courtesy of lead vocals by the stunning singer/model Victoria Kern.  Think Kesha meets Pussycat Dolls with a dash of “Jump Around” by House of Pain, and you’re right there.  Watch the fun video below and don’t say I didn’t warn you.  Like last year’s “We No Speak Americano”, it may be coming to a wedding or party near you sometime soon.

There’s Nothin’ Wrong With Being Perfectly Pop: Albums from The Midway State and Jon McLaughlin, Jeronimo’s new single

With this edition, I’m going to talk about the perfectly pop sounds of two albums that could slip under the radar, Paris Or India by The Midway State, and Forever If Ever by Jon McLaughlin.  Both are performers whose records I’ve enjoyed immensely, with Jon’s “Beating My Heart” being my favourite of 2008 and “Never Again” by The Midway State right up there at the end of that year as well.  I’ve also got some comments about talented new singer Jeronimo’s latest release.

Paris Or India by The Midway State

I’ve actually been listening to Paris Or India for the past few months now.  The Toronto-based quartet had me enthralled with the quality of its sophomore release.  I mean the record sounds fantastic, the instrumentation is top notch, and singer Nathan Ferraro’s voice either soars with the songs or anchors them with unique emotion.  What’s taken me so long with this album is that with all of its layers, the songs weren’t latching onto me.  Honestly, there isn’t a song I dislike on this album, it’s interesting and just breezes by.  I think I might have been looking too hard for another “Never Again”, and for some off-the-street grit that comes with much less complex and produced debut records.  Paris Or India is sure a progression for The Midway State… I just didn’t anticipate it.

The first single “Atlantic” is a thoughtful travelogue of sorts, while upcoming single “Fire!” gleams with intensity that come to a perhaps-too-quick end.  The album is sometimes caught up with mysterious, puzzling story songs that you won’t hear on the radio.  They are populated with the best melodies on the record.  Be sure to listen to “Hartley Salter’s Kite” (below) and “St. Paul And The Wolf” for another side of The Midway State that was not heard on the Holes album.  But the best song to me that shows their pop potential is “All Anew” (up above) with its straight-forward lyrics and plush melody.

Paris Or India, despite its elliptical qualities, is well worth the time you spend with it.  It’s hard for me to say where some inspiration is coming from, but I don’t think bands like Coldplay or U2 are off the map, and hey, why not strive for the greatness that those bands have achieved.  Also be sure to check out this hardworking band in concert.

“Hartley Salter’s Kite” by The Midway State

Forever If Ever by Jon McLaughlin

This is actually the Indiana-bred singer/songwriter’s sixth album and his return to the indie market after recording his last two albums for Island Def Jam.  It’s one dreamy pure pop album, in the best sense that a piano player’s record can be.  Think of great piano men like Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Hornsby… and when was the last time you heard a good album in that vein.  Again, patience is required with Forever If Ever.  It has its delicate moments but there are others when it can rock out like many of the songs in Jon’s last album OK Now.  But it’s much less lush than that record.  There are simple arrangements for songs whose lyrics deserved to be heard.

But for me the spotlight falls on that piano.  Nowhere is it more showcased than in “Promising Promises” (see Jon play it live a few weeks ago, above).  Down to earth and knowing lyrics meet a beautiful melody… complete with a gorgeous and longer than usual piano solo (it’s just before the 3 minute mark)!  “A Little Too Hard (And A Little Too Fast)” and “Summer Is Over” are both engaging, while  “You Are What I’m Here For” and “My Girl Tonight” (hear it below) are epitomies of class.  It’s a pleasure to hear the last two songs with such love struck and happy themes.  The album closer, the lengthy “These Crazy Times” could be the equivalent of Jon’s version of Jackson Browne’s “Running On Empty”, and I can’t wait to hear this one in concert.  He gets to showcase the talents of television’s “The Voice” find, young Xenia, on “Maybe It’s Over” as well.

Again, I don’t think you’re likely to hear the songs from Forever If Ever on pop radio along side Rihanna, David Guetta and LMFAO .  The album sounds very slight on the surface but you have to go deeper to appreciate all of its fine qualities.  Be sure to catch Jon on tour this Fall.

“Somebody Who Loves Me” by Jeronimo

The young Dutch singer is back this time with a stunner of a ballad that made my eyes well up the first time I heard it and did it again as I write.  It’s hard to bridge the dance pop focus with softer songs, and not every performer can do it.  Jeronimo has that sincere personality and delivery, without having a big booming voice, to take a song and leave it stuck in your head.  And of course kudos to the songwriters on this one too.  Thanks to Paul at MyFizzyPop for his inimitable good taste in blogging about it first!  Enjoy the story in the video below.

Tuned-On! Top 30 #363 – October 10/11

October is proving to be a watershed month in 2011 for album releases – yes that’s right album releases!  As many of you know, I’m a singles-going-steady kinda guy, one song will do it for me over an entire album.  So we have no shortage of album releases this month – priorities for me by Darren Hayes, Erasure, Penguin Prison, Chris Isaak, Florence & The Machine (Nov 1), and the already released Adam Cohen – plus Evanescence, Kelly Clarkson, Drake, Coldplay all on deck too… well the iTunes gift cards will be bountiful this year.  So my new personal chart is a transitional one until the floodgates open.  And I’m still waiting for some highly anticipated singles to drop – “Memorize Me” by Rune RK & Databoy and “Can’t Help Myself (Keep Dancing)” by Matt Blue to name two.

So something will likely give at the top of the chart in two weeks, and 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.  But for now it continues to be “Wicked Baby” by Ro Danishei and Simon Curtis at the top but virtually neck and neck with Simon’s own “Laser Guns Up” in second place.  Rumour has it that Ro is now signed to Sony BMG – fantastic! – but I’m not sure of details, and I’m sure they will be forthcoming at some point.

“Disco Moment” by Bright Light Bright Light should by all rights join “A New Word To Say” and “Love Part II” as number ones on this chart, but may get shortchanged in the coming weeks, so it jumps to #3 for now.  New York’s Jessica 6 will be starting a small North American club date tour soon, which will then take them to Europe.  “Prisoner Of Love”, their unique splash of disco nightlife pairing with Antony Hegarty of Antony & The Johnsons, climbs to #4.  I’m anxiously awaiting the video for this song!

The Top 5 is rounded out by the Fastest Riser on the chart.  “No I.D.” by Frankmusik and Colette Carr are in the running for the top as the song surges 20-5, thanks to relentless touring – now that the Erasure/Frankmusik tour is wrapping up overseas, there will be another tour for both performers along with fellow Cherrytree Records signees LMFAO and Far East Movement, starting very soon!

Songs 6 through 12 are trapped in the middle and some should break loose in two weeks.  “Fix Me”, the stunning ballad by L.A.’s Matthew Kurz and his free download mixtape, holds at #6, while “Bad Dog” by UK singer Neon Hitch (and that’s her real name too!) jumps to #7.  And what would a chart be without Adele?  “Set Fire To The Rain” is her third Top Tenner for me from the 21 album, currently one of my favourite albums of the year along with others such as R∆  by Simon Curtis, Eric Saade’s Saade Volume One, and Do It In The A.M. by Frankmusik.

Contemporary electro pop is all a flutter right now as represented by a delightful next bunch:  Adam Tyler’s “Pull The Trigger” becomes his third Top 10 entry at #9; “My Fizzy Pop” by Kyle Brylin follows “Everything I’m Missing” as his second Top Tenner; Penguin Prison does not look to miss the Top 10, making it five in a row in two weeks with “Fair Warning”; and “Stupid With You” by Eric Saade is simply charming pop at its best.

“Bloodstained Heart” by Darren Hayes can only be purchased in Australia right now, but will be on release worldwide in two weeks when his album Secret Codes And Battleships arrives.  The song continues to rise up to #14.  Florence & The Machine’s “What The Water Gave Me” is holding at #18 while their new album Ceremonials is on deck.  And four more of last week’s debuts make headway.  Will Young’s free download of “The Way I See” climbs to #22, while Swedish pop queen Agnes moves 29-23 with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”.  Nick Hagelin’s tender R&B ballad “Metaphor” also climbs to #20 and is a free download from his website.  With every week that passes, “Famous” by Audio Playground manages to find more radio stations playing it in Canada – Top 50 on the Billboard Canadian Top 100.  This past week saw the debut of the video of the French version of the song, featuring Randy Raymond.  Watch it below.

I’ve spent the past week blogging and tweeting about Like A Man, the fresh start of a sophomore release by Adam Cohen (son of Leonard), as well as his lovely and intimate show I saw in Toronto this past week.  His beautiful and thoughtful single “What Other Guy” (available as a free download) arrives at #24.  One of Kyle Brylin’s latest releases, the propulsive and somewhat gleefully cynical “Never Love A DJ” joins “My Fizzy Pop” on the chart at #27.  Lastly, on the more raucous side, Brooklyn duo Matt & Kim have been promoting the hell out of last year’s release Sidewalks.  I saw them perform last Fall, and they won me over with their energy and crowd interaction.  “Block After Block”, from Sidewalks, keeps grabbing my attention, and with a spot-on performance on the Jimmy Fallon show this summer, the song arrives on the chart at #25.  If you don’t know about this fun pair, watch the Fallon performance by clicking on the link below, as well as the official video at the top of the blog, and you will be converted.

http://busk.com/news/matt-and-kim-late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-video

Adam Cohen’s “Like A Man” and October 3 Toronto Show

As I write, Adam Cohen is performing his second Toronto show at the Drake Hotel.  I had the privilege of seeing him perform last night in a small (maybe 150 people) and intimate setting which was perfect to showcase the new songs from his album Like A Man.

Like the first single “What Other Guy”, the songs in Like A Man are mainly love letters to and about various women and relationships.  It’s a soft and romantic record for the most part, very unlike the songs from his self-titled debut or by his rock band Low Millions.  He really does embrace the intellectual and poetic style that surrounded him as growing up as the son of Leonard Cohen, and steps away from dad enough to make it his own.  

I didn’t even know about this album’s release until last Friday.  It’s a most unexpected and joyous surprise to hear what I would call one of the best records of the year in among all of the pop and electronic music I listen to and about which you usually read in these posts.  But I digress – really, I’ve been intrigued by Adam’s music since his first release in 1998.  

Carefully produced by Patrick Leonard (most noted for Madonna, but many others as well, including Elton John and Roger Waters – Leonard also plays on the record), these are apparently songs that could have gathered dust had family and friends not encouraged their release.  The first (and oldest) song, “Out Of Bed”, puts a smile on your face right away, and you can feel the warmth and humour that lay underneath many of the songs throughout the album.  The lyrical persuasion of “Sweet Dominique”, “Girls these Days”, and “Beautiful” are three more essential reasons to listen to Like A Man.  Adam’s lovely and gentle sing-speak, not unlike his father’s at times, suits every moment.  Having friends like Don Was (stand up bass) and Jennifer Warnes (who recorded his father’s songs on her seminal 1986 Famous Blue Raincoat album) in support adds to all of the precision.

Adam performed a generous set for about an hour last night.  It was full of camraderie and anecdotes that made it very special, especially the story about how Sir Paul McCartney spoke with him after a show and told him that he wished he wrote one of his songs – ultimate compliment!  The singer himself said he felt nervous performing despite “this is what I do”, but it really is a fresh start (not disregarding his past works) so that kind of excitement was deserved.  He led us through “Sweet Dominique” (and incorporated a verse of his father’s “Bird On A Wire”), “What Other Guy”, “Girls these Days”, “Beautiful” (which he dedicated to his 4 year old son Cassius and his son’s mother), a stripped down version of Low Millions’ “Eleanor”, plus covers of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” (for a first time performance that completely gripped the audience) and dad’s own “So Long Marianne” (the title is also referenced in “Beautiful”).  Adam’s set was complimented heavily by the talents of cellist/guitarist Mai Bloomfield and multi-instrumentalist (and Low Millions member) Michael Chaves.

Here’s an imaginary glass of Petrone to salute the release of Like A Man and what should be a successful Canadian, UK, and European tour for Adam Cohen, because I think he’s going to find a lot of new fans along the way.  Don’t be surprised if this album shows up on many year-end ‘Best Of’ lists.  Like A Man is available on iTunes or in hard copy CD format.

Getting to Know Adam Cohen Again: “What Other Guy” free download

This week, 39 year old L.A.-based Canadian singer Adam Cohen (son of Leonard) releases a new album called Like A Man on the Cooking Vinyl label (EMI has it in Canada).

The last we heard from Adam, he recorded a top notch album in 2004 with the band Low Millions which yielded a couple of hits with “Eleanor” and “Statue”.  He also released a French language album called Mélancolista which did well in that market.  Prior to that, his only solo effort was in 1998, a self-titled album featuring the Canadian radio hit “Cry Ophelia” and in particular the dramatic and stunning “Tell Me Everything” (whose video you can view at the bottom of this blog), which I still play often along with “Eleanor”, one of my favourite songs of its year.

I’ve been wondering what he would release next, because his songs are often dark, sarcastic, bitter and brooding, not everyone’s cup of tea, but he certainly showed that he could rock out with Low Millions.  He has never shied away from being his father’s son, and he definitely has the pedigree songwriting skills.  And he’s got a voice that commands attention whether singing quietly or loudly and emotionally.

So 2011 brings us his sophomore English language solo album Like A Man, and Adam is showcasing the album in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa this week with some live shows before he heads off to Europe and the U.K.  He’s offered the first single, “What Other Guy”, as a free download which you can get below.  And I’m hoping that it’s a solid preview of the album, because the song is a joyous delight.  This is a beautiful, romantic story in the video at the top of the blog, and thematically is nothing like his past efforts.  So the 13 year gap between English solo albums and 7 years after Low Millions is beginning to play out like an inviting new adventure.

Good on you, Adam 🙂

“What Other Guy” by Adam Cohen – free download using the down arrow on the right of the player