While “Don’t Play With Fire” shows off a well-done but conventional guitar-based acoustic style, it’s Jot Singh’s pristine vocal tones that are the star of the show in which you can get to know him better. And if you’ve got a solid song that fits like a glove in this style, then it almost assuredly will win over some new fans. Kansas-born but now based in L.A., Jot has embarked on his journey with the help of seasoned professionals like bassist Sean Hurley and engineer Wil Anspach. With his vocal, songwriting and guitar talents in the bag, all Jot Singh needs now is an audience, and where good music travels, the audience follows. Be sure to give some love to “Don’t Play With Fire”.
While there often doesn’t seem to be a lot of demand for soft pop these days, there is an audience for it that doesn’t bow down to social media connections. Toronto producer, musician and songwriter James de Pinho is otherwise known as Beta One, as he steps away from dance music for the gentle ballad “A Galaxy Of Stars”. With a low-key but appropriate vocal by Toronto singer Locul, “A Galaxy Of Stars” is about trying to find your soulmate in this vast world of ours, and often feeling like a “speck of light” when we’re “hiding in plain sight”. But Beta One has turned that feeling of disappointment into a positive as the melody line becomes uplifting though still poignant – we are all a part of “A Galaxy Of Stars” with our many unique talents and traits.
Intro To Music Theory are producers and brass players Matt Waters and Matthew Busch, who are also California-bred music educators currently based in Hainan, China, and have channeled a bevy of influences into the rousing nightclub track “It’s An Attitude”. The result is a bit like creating a great soup – you add in all of the right ingredients and the result is something tasty and original. A provocative mix of jazz and 70’s funk anchors “It’s An Attitude”. There’s always something going on in the song for you to hear that will tickle your fancy, and of course the treat of showcasing live instruments like trumpet and trombone is not often heard in contemporary pop crossover music. So “It’s An Attitude” is most likely to cater to the whims of the sometimes fussy dance music crowd who are often yearning for something like this to dazzle them. Matt and Matthew have also started their own distribution company, Unchained Music, recognizing the potential for musicians to have control over their own work and find a new path towards monetization, a 100% free platform powered by DeFi and NFTs.
The shortest month in the year has come and gone as quickly as ever, but it’s jammed packed with new music, some of which I hope to feature in the coming two weeks. In the meantime, there’s no shortage of activity on the new chart which features four unique new entries!
I’m excited for what Swedish pop/rock band Louis Pax will bring us in 2022, as the 80’s inspired “Bad Things” continues in a second appearance at #1! This quartet with a diverse set of influences and the amazing lead vocals of Oscar Reingsdahl did a Q&A on Instagram last week and offered up an acoustic version of their recent single “Spanish Rain”. You can check out the new lyric video for that song below, with a follow up single expected soon!
Right now “Bad Things” is keeping #1 away from Darren Hayes’ “Let’s Try Being In Love” – a pretty hard thing to do – which moves up 3-2. The singer is currently in his native Australia and was a judge this weekend at their EuroVision entry contest.
The Weeknd’s 80’s soaked “Less Than Zero” from the Dawn FM is one to watch as it climbs 7-3. Somewhat surprisingly, it becomes The Weeknd’s second highest entry on my chart, next to 2016’s #1 “Starboy” with the now re-formed Daft Punk.
“High” is a song that invades my head and stays there for a long time whenever I play it. So, accordingly, The Chainsmokers have the Fastest Riser for the second chart in a row, soaring 16-6. Up next for the guys amid touring is the follow-up single “iPad”.
Martin Garrix gets his first Top 10 on my chart since 2018’s “High On Life” with “Won’t Let You Go” (14-9), in collaboration with Russia’s Matisse & Sadko, and vocalist John Martin, who obtains his second Top 10 a little over 9 years after Swedish House Mafia’s #1 “Don’t You Worry Child”.
Rounding out the Top 10 is UK queen of house Karen Harding, whose “Sweet Vibrations” climbs 12-10, becoming her 6th Top 10 entry since the end of 2020.
“Don’t Wake Me Up” by Jonas Blue and Why Don’t We climbs 19-13 and has designs on the Top 10 next week.
Years and Years has the rare feat of having three songs on the chart right now. While “Sweet Talker” peaked at #2 on the last chart, the title track (above) from the album Night Call climbs 20-15. And Olly Alexander’s voice has never sounded better, full of poise and control, than on the album track “Reflection”, which is only available on the deluxe versions of Night Call. “Reflection” (below) arrives on the chart at #26.
“The Half Moon Came Up In The Sky” (above) may be an inauspicious release for Frankmusik, but it’s turning out to be one of my favourite songs by him, as it climbs 24-16. He is currently re-recording his 2009 album Complete Me, and you can check out the first tastes of this new work “In Step Completed” and “Better Off As 2 Completed” below.
“Careless” by Mahalo and Milkwish featuring the recognizable voice of Lena Leon climbs 25-18, and is certainly one of the best and most infectious deep house tracks on release right now.
We definitely weren’t ready for Odesza’s first release in four years (aside from their Bronson collaboration). I guess “Loyal” (which reached #1 on this chart in 2018) was a jumping off point for dabbling in early R&B and fusing it with the duo’s progressive sounds. So they took Bettye LaVette’s 1965 R&B hit “Let Me Down Easy”, in full collaboration with the now-76 year old singer, and created the new epic “The Last Goodbye”, which arrives on the chart at #23. This one must be listened to multiple times to be appreciated. The depth of production and reverence for its source is extremely impressive, and by my ears, Grammy Award-worthy.
Next up at #27 is “Cold Shoulder”, the debut chart entry from mystery American dance producers Electric Polar Bears with UK singer/songwriter Katie Sky. This one has it all – top notch production, a distinct vocal, and engaging songwriting. The EPB’s are known for their entertaining live sets, and of course they wear polar bear disguises on their heads.
The fourth debut at #28 is chart-returnee Jully Black with “No Relation”. It’s the striking Canadian talent’s first chart entry since 2015’s “Fever” (#8). It’s also Jully’s 8th chart entry, and they go back to 1999’s “Rally’n” (#4)!
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! You can also follow me on Spotify at the following link: BILLCS Top 30 Songs.
Radio GTA– listen to The Big 20 from 10pm to Midnight EST on Wednesdays as “The Musicman” James Rogers and I bring you the latest in new songs. And on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6pm I bring you “Your Weekend New Music Mix” six hours of commercial-free music from the 2000’s including many song choices from this blog.
Halton Hills Online– “Your Weekend Music Mix” has a second home on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 8pm to Midnight! It’s a different mix from Radio GTA’s show, and like that one it is also commercial free, proudly brought to you by Symposium Cafe Restaurant & Lounge in Georgetown, Ontario!
The 3D Variety Show by Planet Radio Canada – I’m featured Tuesdays between 7 and 7:30 pm with my New Music Pick of the Week on “The 3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past through some live segments. A repeat of “The 3D Variety Show” now airs on Wednesdays at 7pm EST on Radio GTA .
My New Music Pick of the Week also now airs on Radio GTA Wednesdays at 11:15 pm EST, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm EST, on Halton Hills Onlineon Saturdays and Sundays at 10pm EST, and now on Mix88.ca‘s “Addictive Energy” show with Hunter Wilbur on Saturdays at 9pm EST.
Over the last few years, L.A. based singer/songwriter Molly Moore has been honing a chill alt.pop style heavily influenced by jazz, hip hop and R&B, and even pre-rock era pop, that suits her to an “M”! Her recent four-song EP Escapism truly shows a pop chameleon now at work, someone who is taking risks while sounding creatively immersed too. This is several steps away from her past electronic pop and her songs with former beau Brandyn Burnette as duo Cosmos & Creature which I’ve written about over the last 7 years or so. “Marco Polo” is eclectic and entertaining, highly representative of the Escapism title in terms of discovering someone who is mutually interested in enjoying a fun, light-hearted time with one another. It features a nicely matched, carefree-sounding vocal interjection by co-writer, German-born singer/songwriter NoMBe. The vibe is original and catchy and Molly is definitely at her best here. Do check out the full EP for a well-rounded picture of Molly Moore’s current sound.
SHUHANDZ and JOSH RUBIN, “Spend Time” (Prov remix)
“Spend Time” is the kind of song you might expect to hear in a key, taut scene in a TV or film mystery that helps set the tone for the story. It’s brought to you by L.A. producer Shuhandz and Austin-based singer Josh Rubin in a splendid remix by Chicago producer Prov. It also happens to be an immediate draw as a post-midnight deep house track, with a rigorous rhythm that will send late night club goers into liftoff mode. The alternately chill and slick mood of the song with the enigmatic, echoey effect on Josh’s voice really stands out. But it’s that pulsating rhythm track which drives “Spend Time” and the proof will be to hear it pounding on huge club speakers for all to enjoy.
You know those sneaky songs that make you want to spontaneously try to bust a move the best way that you can at the time, even if it’s all stuck in your head? Well “Hold Me Down” by Italian production duo Luca and Giam and Florida-based singer/songwriter Sam Merkin is one of them! It’s the kind of song that can easily switch the mood in a club set from familiar and mundane, to zesty and fun. The insistent 90’s piano house riffs, which recall a lot of Eurohouse that came out of Germany at the time like “What Is Love” and “Another Night”, along with Sam’s urgent but playful vocal give the straight-forward song instantly defining moments to make it memorable. “Hold Me Down” follows up Luca and Giam’s impressive recent work on Danny Dearden’s “Keep Me By Your Side”, which youread about herea short while ago.
Toronto’s Dabin Lee currently works double time, on his own releases as well as being one of Illenium’s right hand stars on record and in performance for the last five years. Somehow, his latest single “Holding On” from his recent album Between Broken, has cut through the red tape and landed on Canadian radio. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer song to bring some electronic flavour and wizardry to radio after Illenium’s own brilliant collaboration with Jon Bellion, “Good Things Fall Apart”, cracked through in 2019. It’s a poignant but unsettling song about finding oneself back with or wanting the same lover even after you’ve broken up. Singer Lowell is a fellow Canadian and, like Dabin, hardly a newcomer, having released two albums of her own, and shows her strong songwriting skills on “Holding On”. She co-wrote last year’s “La Di Die” by Nessa Barrett and jxdn (which got to #8 on my chart), and has also written for Bülow, Madison Beer, Hailee Steinfeld, Tate McRae, and several others over the last few years. It’s a super collaboration that I hope American radio will also recognize soon.
“Broken” is a great way to start of 2022 for 19 year old Alfie Templeman, who has a busy year ahead of him. It’s a bright and chipper-sounding song whose melodies belie its more serious but relatable lyrics. We all sometimes feel broken and used up, and simply can’t give anymore. “Broken” wraps up those anxious feelings in a gentle story that’s given a positive spin by Alfie’s energetic vocal and a much more polished sound than past releases. Coming from the DIY world, it’s refreshing to hear someone grow quickly since I first wrote about him two years ago, and having new fans like Nile Rodgers can’t hurt. Alfie starts a few months of touring in March, releases his debut album Mellow Moon on May 27, and plays the Tramlines festival in Sheffield on July. There’s much more to come from Alfie so keep your ears ready during the next while!
“Better!”, the new single by London-based Australian singer/songwriter Ryan Meeking, is a song that leaps out at you from your speakers thanks to a winning melody that keeps building until it reaches a very catchy chorus. It’s an anthemic pop song that captures the state of two people who decide to get together as a couple after knowing each other for forever. Its positive vibe is refreshing and uniting as we continue to come out of the pandemic and snap out of the browbeaten mood we’ve all been in for two years. The song doesn’t mince any words and Ryan’s enthusiastic performance keeps you intrigued. Check out the amusing animated video for “Better!” above.
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