On my drive out of town today, one of those cool ‘n quirky mixes of music that you like happens and you don’t end up pushing the skip button. Great tunes to keep you company always make for a pleasant and fast drive!
Gary Wright “Dream Weaver” (1976)
Remy Shand “The Colour of Day” (2002)
Human League “(Keep Feeling) Fascination” (1983)
The Midway State “Fire Keeps on Burning”
Matt & Kim “Daylight”
Roz Bell “Break of Night”
Adele “My Same”
Electronic “Dark Angel” (1996)
Spoons “Talk Back” (1984)
The The “Perfect” (1983)
Dennis Coffey “Scorpio” (1972)
Mitchell Hunter “They Might Say” (2004)
Darren Hayes “The Future Hold’s A Lion’s Heart”
Jaimie Vernon “(Letter to a) Dear Chum”
Faith Brothers “That’s Just The Way That It Is With Me” (1987)
Any comments or other quirky playlists, please reply with comments/lists! 🙂
EDIT: Just in – A lovely acapella rendition of “8-bit Heart” with video shot by Tyler Shields, who did Simon’s wonderful photos. This will literally send shivers down your back.
“Beat Drop” live at the Roxy!
This edition of my personal chart of course coincides with the aftermath of Simon Curtis’ debut solo performance at The Roxy in Los Angeles on Thursday May 6. Our Boy Robot continues to reign the chart with “Beat Drop” (with video from the show up top) along with “Joystick” at #3. But Simon adds to his chart victory with the title track from his mixtape 8-bit Heart debuting this week at #21. Despite the high energy performance at the Roxy – and you can see the rest of the show in segments at http://www.simondaily.com – I thought Simon’s performance of “8-bit Heart” to be particularly effective (it’s at the bottom of this blog). Remember folks, this is ONLY the beginning, it’s a showcase performance to show what he can do, and that, by jove, is entertain!! So let’s see Simon on TV soon – maybe late night shows – so that he can show off his voice and talent, and reach out to a wider audience.
Penguin Prison (aka Chris Glover), like Simon, now has two songs in my Top 5. “The Worse It Gets” replaces “Something I’m Not” at #2 – and it’s such a great song for a spring or summer drive! Javi’s engaging Monsieur Adi remix of “Situation” climbs to #4, while Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins” and Florida-based Clayton Senne each climb into the Top 10. Our 2010 piano man has been playing some smaller towns in Florida and appears on The Daily Buzz on May 28! Check out his MySpace page.
All of last week’s debut fare well in their sophomore chart. Kelis’ “Acapella” may just be my new theme song for 2010 as it climbs 21-12. Mike Posner, like Simon Curtis, started out in mixtape land, and has now signed with J/RCA, who have him touring this summer. The Gigamesh mix of “Cooler Than Me” jumps 24-16 as the song is about to enter the national Top 40! “Not Myself Tonight”, one of Christina Aguilera’s more intense dance songs, is right behind at #17. And the quiet late night dance floor power of Fabio Lendrum’s “Trouble” lands at #20.
Our other debuts this week include a second round from Justin Nozuka’s You I Wind Land And Sea, a lilting and beautiful song called “Unwoken Dream (King With Everything)”, arrives at #24. There’s also riveting pop/dance from Australia’s The Gossip in the form of “Pop Goes The World”, and lastly a belated debut of Ryan Star’s “Breathe”. One of my 10 Performers to Watch in 2010, Ryan Star’s ticket looks like it’s arrived with “Breathe” as he continues to tour around the U.S. Check out his always active website.
You never realize how much the world has changed in the 13 years since “MMMBop” was on top of the charts, until you realize that Taylor, Zac and Isaac Hanson are all now in their mid-to-late 20’s and have families.
A few years back, they went the indie route after splitting from Island Def Jam Mercury when it was restructuring and failed to get behind their 2000 release This Time Around – a record that I still enjoy and thought got a real raw deal.
So along came 2004’s Underneath, which did extremely well for an indie, opening in the Top 30 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums and getting a minor hit with “Penny & Me”. Nothing to rival the smashola of “MMMBop”, but a fresh start in retrospect.
Six years and two albums later, the boys are releasing Shout It Out, with the good-timey, summery “Thinkin’ ‘Bout Somethin'” as the first single. While it makes no new inroads, its playful blues/rock jam may catch some new ears this time around. Hanson still has a dedicated fan base so expect to see them playing somewhere near you before the end of 2010.
Looking for a good time? Give this one a try, and enjoy the “Blues Brothers” inspired video with a special guest tambourine player.
One of my favourite singers for whom I hope big things in 2010, Baltimore native Evan Taubenfeld releases his debut long-awaited CD Welcome To The Black List Club on May 18th on iTunes. No track listing has been revealed yet, but you can bet that it includes “Cheater Of The Year” and “Boy Meets Girl”, Evan’s playful and addictive singles that were released last year.
“Pumpkin Pie” is a great way to kick off the CD’s release. It’s a classic straight forward pop rock love song with a positive message. You can listen to it, courtesy of the blog Just So You Know, right here. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Be sure to check out Evan’s website and catch one of his Soda Sunday Ustream chats, which are always entertaining – Evan really goes to bat for his fans too 🙂
The top of my personal chart essentially remains the same in this edition, with Simon Curtis occupying #1 for the third straight chart with the magnificent “Beat Drop”, as well as holding at #3 with the playful “Joystick”, with Penguin Prison’s ambitious-sounding “Something I’m Not” in the runner up slot for a third appearance. Blake Lewis once again hangs at #4 with the beautiful Billboard Club Play Chart #1 “Heartbreak On Vinyl”, while New York singer Javi rises up to #5 with “Situation” (which is an original tune, not a cover of the 1982 Yazoo hit).
Usually when the top of the chart is under control, things begin to quake down below. So current faves by Evan Taubenfeld (whose long awaited Welcome To The Black List Club drops May 18!) and Justin Nozuka rise within the Top 10, while others by Example, Penguin Prison, and BT join them. Check out the live clip of Penguin Prison (aka Chris Glover) performing “The Worse It Gets” in NYC below, as well as the cover art for BT’s emotional electro explosion “Suddenly”, which has taken its time getting to the Top 10 (6 charts).
The middle of the chart is bursting with action with rock songs by Vampire Weekend, Lifehouse, and Clayton Senne looking like they are Top 10 bound. The fastest riser on the chart is “Kick Ass” by Mika vs Red One, which climbs 28-18.
Spring Popervescence is the expression I’m using to categories the four newcomers to the chart about whom I’ve already blogged about recently. Be sure to check out these songs by Kelis, Mike Posner, Christina Aguilera (which despite a lot of naysayers is just fine, thank you), and UK singer/producer Fabio Lendrum. Free download links to the Posner and Lendrum tracks are available in my chart…
Speaking of which… you can link to the chart right here or use the link in the right side bar under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART***.
I haven’t written about our beloved Boy Robot for a few weeks because Big Plans Have Been in the Making.
To celebrate his upcoming May 6 gig at The Roxy in Los Angeles opening up for A.J. McLean of Backstreet Boys, Simon Curtis reported the following ambitious plan on Twitter tonight:
Here’s how it will work; starting Monday, GagaNews will announce via Twitter the time, & then we are gonna shoot for a Trending Topic (#SimonCurtis10Days, #SimonCurtis9Days, etc) counting down until the show. Each day we successfully hit the TT’s, GagaNews and JJJ [Just Jared Jr.] will be unveiling exclusive videos letting you see the dances to all the songs as we prep them! On the final 2 days, I will be releasing the top-secret SHOW REMIXES of the songs for you guys to download, free, but only if we’ve hit the TT’s every day. I’m confident we can make this happen, and I cannot wait for you all to see the amazing show we are putting together for you guys!!! 😀 All my love —s
So if you’re part of Simon’s Robot Army, get busy starting tomorrow!
Following his successful Record Store day appearance in Toronto, I’ve finally composed some thoughts about Justin Nozuka’s sophomore CD You I Wind Land And Sea.
Despite its many familiar sounds, the record surprises by refusing to be pigeon-holed into a particular style or genre. Pop, Rock, R&B, and Blues elements are all equally at home. Overall it’s a pretty easy-going record with lots of deliberate quiet more than edgy rock. But don’t let you think it’s a pushover. There’s a great deal of thought put into these songs about relationships with women, introspection, and reflection. Justin executes them with a sincere and graceful passion that’s not reflected on many CD’s these days. Best of all, that old-soul-worldliness that grounded many songs on his debut CD Holly is omni-present.
As lovely as is the lead Canadian single “My Heart Is Yours”, it is outshone by the simplicity and preciousness of “Unwoken Dream (King with Everything)”. Peace and serenity are traded in for forthright emotions on “Carried You” and “Soulless Man”. Other fine tracks include “Heartless”, “Swan in the Water”, and the title track.
You I Wind Land And Sea has a humble sensibility that touches and draws in the listener. It should cement Justin Nozuka’s reputation as a talented singer/guitarist/songwriter with loads of fans to support him as he continues to draw accolades wherever he goes.
Here’s a clip of Justin’s appearance on The David Letterman Show on April 20.
This was the scene mid-day today at Sunrise Records on Yonge Street in Toronto when Justin Nozuka paid a visit for a six song acoustic set along with guitarist Mark Pellizzer for 300 or so local fans.
The focus of course was on his brand new and highly anticipated sophomore release You I Wind Land And Sea. The set included songs from the album such as “My Heart Is Yours”, “Carried You” “Swan In The Water”, and my current personal favourite “Unwoken Dream (King with Everything)”. Needless to say, Justin was his cheerful, laid back and humble self… and he’s going to be a busy guy as the CD begins to breakout in the U.S. and the rest of the world!
It’s small things like In-Store record shows that make enjoying music special.
I’ll have more thoughts on You I Wind Land And Sea in the coming days…
Popervescent may have already been used elsewhere in the BlogVerse but it perfectly describes the music of this Spring. The vast load of free downloads by artists themselves though may take a bit of a hit with some more commercialized competition.
Christina Aguilera’s “Not Myself Tonight” (from the forthcoming CD Bionic) and Scissor Sisters’ “Invisible Light” (from the forthcoming CD Night Work)are two key cases in point. Remember as you read along: I lived through Disco music as a teenager and young adult! I’m paraphrasing fellow blogger XOLondon when he aptly pointed out that “Invisible Light” captures the 1978-1982 era – it does it so dead on that it’s scary! And I’m going to add “Not Myself Tonight” to that train of thought. All I can hear for vocal comparisons are songs like Donna Summer’s “Dim All The Lights” when I listen to it. Songs like that bring back many happy memories and times. And there seems to be a real movement to revive those times!
I wasn’t overly impressed with it at first few listens, but “Break Your Heart” by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris has won me over. Again, it’s really a variation of 80’s Stock Aitken Waterman hits given a 2010 makeover. Kelis sounds so far away from the ridiculous novelty that is “Milkshake” on her latest song “Acapella” – she’s either got a beautiful voice now, or the production is beautiful – or maybe both! Sold!
This kind of raving would not be complete without two songs that I’ve been playing regularly for a while now. Mike Posner from Michigan has been abuzz for the better part of the last year, thanks to two online free mixtapes, A Matter Of Time and One Foot Out The Door, which led to him signing a record deal with J Records and grabbing a place on the Warped Tour this summer. His song “Cooler Than Me” is all summery fun and slick attitude, as well as being particularly radio friendly. Download his mixtapes right here. And UK singer/producer/remixer Fabio Lendrum has a dark late night hit brewing with the CFCF remix of “Trouble”, which is available for free download right here. This one throws me back to the mid-80’s when Erasure arrived on the scene. Fabio has a softer-edged Andy Bell quality about his voice while the music channels more 80’s lush pop by the likes of The Dream Academy.
This new chart came upon me so quickly while I was in New Orleans over the past week, so there’s not too much change.
Simon Curtis continues to rule the roost with “Beat Drop” on top for a second chart, with “Joystick” climbing to #3, sandwiching Penguin Prison’s mighty “Something I’m Not” at #2. Simon’s 8-bit Heartis now at over 120K worldwide downloads. He’s opening for Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean in L.A. on May 6 at the Roxy, and is developing a video with Tyler Shields (who did the wonderful album cover art). Things seem to be falling nicely into place… I predict Simon will have a record deal very soon!
Blake Lewis’ beautiful “Heartbreak On Vinyl” will attain the #1 spot on Billboard’s Club Play chart this coming week, and it’s well deserved! The song moves up 6-4 on my chart this week. Evan Taubenfeld’s Welcome To The Blacklist Club will finally be available digitally in late May, and the effervescent “Starbucks Girl” moves up 10-8. Justin Nozuka’s You I Wind Land And Sea arrives this week, and the pensive “My Heart Is Yours” jumps 12-10. But the big mover on the chart this week is by New York singer Javi. The Monsieur Adi remix of “Situation” soars 16-6… the guy’s got a great voice and you can hear it in his live cover of Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” below!
So much great music is stuck slowly moving up the chart, so be sure to check out tracks by Example, BT, Vampire Weekend, Ellie Goulding, Massive Attack, Clayton Senne, and The Envy. Lifehouse’s “Had Enough”, featuring Chris Daughtry, looks like it’s well on its way, rising 27-21 this week.
I previously blogged about the second Penguin Prison song to enter this chart, The Worse It Gets”. The song debuts at #17 out of the gate, is well worth your attention.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the comic book-styled film “Kick Ass”. Mika and producer Red One have the title track which enters the chart at #28, and you can watch the engaging video below.
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