ELECTRIC POLAR BEARS and KATIE SKY, “Cold Shoulder”
“Cold Shoulder” is a percolating new release with plenty of bounce that will make you look forward to dancing the night away in the warmer upcoming months. It unites American electronic duo Electric Polar Bears with veteran British singer/songwriter Katie Sky, and “Cold Shoulder” takes them in a much more focused direction than some of their 2021 releases. The EPB’s are talented producers who make their synths sparkle and have been known for being the centre of events such as the Groove Cruise. “Cold Shoulder” is a well-crafted song with an ear-catching and sometimes affecting vocal by Katie, who in 2020 had her song “Monsters” featured in the Chinese TV talent competition “Singer 2020”, which saw the song go viral worldwide, and to date it’s received over 30 million streams. EPB and Katie are a terrific force together and I hope another collaboration will be forthcoming. PS to the artwork crew, polar bears and penguins never mix!!
I always enjoy it when one artist takes the time to reinvent a hit of the past by putting an unexpected few spins on it. As such, Hungary-born, California-based producer/DJ Pillows (aka Anna Negyesi) is back after making a splash last year with songs like “Wasted”, with her unpredictable spin on “My Love”, originally a #1 hit in 2006 by Justin Timberlake and T.I. from Justin’s classic and still amazing FutureSex/LoveSounds album. And while I’m a huge fan of that album, the production on “My Love” remains attached to its time period. Pillows has stripped the song of its Timbaland trappings and effects, which allows it to go straight to the heart of its beautiful lyrics amid more delicate surroundings. Her pitched down vocal gives the song a different and effective read, making it an ideal aural calling card for Valentine’s Day or some fine tender moments together with someone special.
It’s already hard to believe when you see the song title that The Fray first arrived on the scene back in 2006 with “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How To Save A Life”, both pop hits that endure to today. “How To Save A Life” in its original incarnation is a sometimes explosive and emotional release, but Finnish producer Joysic and New York singer/songwriter and man of many releases Robbie Rosen have scaled back the intensity somewhat in their new take on the song. And it works well – Robbie’s vocal still captures the emotion of the song with a much gentler interpretation. The production is big where it needs to be and otherwise is highly complimentary to Robbie’s vocal. “How To Save A Life” is an ear-catching surprise for club patrons to hear in that setting.
With a high energy level and a passion for style, “New Lover” by SoCal R&B/pop artist Joshy Soul is going to catch you off guard. The singer/songwriter’s flair for sounding like Prince and David Bowie circa 1982 is daring, exciting and enthralling. You won’t be able to escape from “New Lover” at first listen with its funky discourse about personal mental health. It’s a song that somehow has mastered a whole bunch of stylistic tricks and has gathered them all together in one precise package. Joshy Soul has a terrific voice, though the song might be able 30 seconds too long for what it has to say. A roller skater who also has a penchant for fashion and went to college with people like Phoebe Bridgers and Tori Kelly, Joshy Soul is supposed to be the real deal in live performance, with a new EP on the way, and he’s playing select dates across the USA over the next few months, including SXSW, Nashville, and New York City. “New Lover” is a striking introduction, and expect to hear much more about Joshy Soul in the coming months.
This post kicks off the 24th anniversary of the BILLCS Top 30! After posting my chart on message boards, chat threads, and comments on websites back in 1997, I decided to formalize the chart as a bi-weekly Top 10 in January 1998, and it evolved into a Top 30 later that year. I started posting it on the old Geocities web service (which got bought by Yahoo), and then I started my own message board, Charts Central. That message board became M4B Charts Central in 2003. I started writing the BILLCS Music Blog in 2009, so my chart had a more permanent home.
Make sure you read about myONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES(see details after the post) – all kinds of online radio announcing projects now keeping me busy!
It ended 2021 on the national dance radio charts at #1, and it’s starting 2022 on top of my chart – I’m talking about “Unbreakable” (above) by L.A. dance producers TELYKast with Nashville singer/songwriter Sam Gray. TELYKast are already taking this to another level, remixing none other than Jennifer Lopez on her latest single “On My Way (Marry Me)”, which you can check out below.
“Play It Cool” by Menrva and Island Banks took its time from initially charting at #30, and the catchy R&B/dance song has made it all the way to #2.
Bay area producer Jay Bird gets his second Top 5 on this chart with “Float” (above) in collaboration with fellow producers TWSTD ZOO and vocalist Harley Bird. Jay also released a follow up single “Promises”, which you can check out below.
“Sweet Talker” (above) by Years & Years and Galantis is one to watch as it climbs 9-6 while we await the new Years & Years album Night Call, the first Y&Y album that is an Olly Alexander release. Another bright preview from the album is available for you below called “Sooner Or Later”.
Michael Medrano’s so infectious “i don’t wanna talk about love” (above) is the first of two songs to land in the Top 10, moving up 13-9, while “River” (below) by The Knocks and Parson James follows suit, up 14-10. It’s the 7th trip to the Top 10 for The Knocks.
I think that if a major label picked up “Cold To Me” by Louis La Roche and Darren Hayes, it would be a huge hit! It’s got a familiar melody and is lifted by the presence of Darren, whose first release it is in many years. “Cold To Me” is from Louis’ album We’re Not So Different and climbs 19-13.
The Fastest Riser on the chart zips up 24-14 by Swedish pop/rock band Louis Pax with “Bad Things”. It’s one of the most infectious songs out there with a commanding vocal by Oscar and all sorts of 80’s vibes, including saxophone. Keep your eyes and ears on this one!
Also moving up the chart briskly are “Sweet Vibrations” (above) by Karen Harding (26-18) and “Pulling Me Down” (below), the latest from Emirati producers Revelries (29-20), two more to watch in the coming weeks.
The first two debuts, including the Highest Debut, are brought to you from the totally splendid Dawn FM album by The Weeknd. My fellow Scarborough, Ontario native – we’re actually from the same area of the city, though I had moved from the area by the time he was born – timed his release perfectly, with a winning, absorbing concept, along with several tunes that will keep him on the charts again for the rest of the year and into 2023! “Less Than Zero” (above) is my favourite and it bows at #22, while the zesty single “Sacrifice” (below) arrives at #27. They become his 9th and 10th entries on this chart.
Another artist getting his 10th entry on the chart is Dutch producer Martin Garrix, who has been jumping back and forth happily with a variety of dance music styles on his recent releases. He appeared last year on the chart with “Pressure” (featuring Tove Lo, #13), and is back this time with Russian producers Matisse & Sadko and Swedish singer John Martin – the voice of Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child” (#1, 2012) – with “Won’t Let You Go”, which bows at #25. It’s a sensational, commanding single that you won’t be able to get out of your head, and it doubles as a powerful song to play at festivals.
The fourth debut belongs to another chart returnee, the 12th entry for California rockers Lifehouse with “Cut and Run” from their recent EP Goodbye Kanan at #29. “Hanging By A Moment” is now a pop classic and was my #1 song of 2001. I was fortunate to see the band when they played my city back in 2017, and it was a great set that showed how many truly great songs they have amassed in a 20+ year career. The band now releases its music independently, so be sure to check this one out.
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 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.
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 Online on Saturdays and Sundays at 10pm EST, and now on Mix88.ca‘s “Addictive Energy” show with Hunter Wilbur on Saturdays at 9pm EST.
“Makan” is one of the rare songs that feeds both your feet and your head. Brought to you by Beirut-born producer Imad along with Chicago-based, Beirut-born vocalist/co-writer Samia, “Makan” offers a scintillating, hypnotic mix of deep house and techno, with luscious, dark synths – the kind of song a club DJ would play in a heartbeat. All of this fantastic, layered music surrounds some thought-provoking, lyrics about having to leave home for a better life – an emotional, often traumatic upheaval that Lebanese people have faced after living amid strife every day. Samia’s soothing vocals brighten the song and at one point she sings Arabic poetry where home is not forgotten.
Imad says, “The past year living in Lebanon has been extremely tough, with constant blackouts, wifi crashes, fuel crisis, economic collapse, it was very challenging to keep productive and be inspired. But it’s through these moments where you learn the most about yourself, your craft and appreciate the small things in life.”
“Makan” is an edgy and beautiful release, one which the open-minded dance community should fully embrace.
Irish folk music is hardly a sub-genre that I often write about, but when it crosses over with pop flavours and an intriguing story, then I know my readers will enjoy the song. Niall McNamee is a singer, songwriter and actor, who has worked with Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan and Bono on-screen and offers a sad but hopeful tale in “All I Need”. Because the song is arranged as a celebratory anthem of life, you won’t know till you dig in deeper after a couple of listens that the song is about a man seeing his life flash before his eyes before he passes. Niall’s personable and engaging voice draws you in, in a similar way to Mike Scott of The Waterboys, which makes the lyrics ring true and softens the emotional impact, and in turn you are more inclined to cheer a life well-lived rather than mourn it. “All I Need” is a song that’s hard not to like and enjoy. A radio edit of the song is also available at the link below.
“Sun” is indeed a bright, optimistic light in the world of independent alternative pop music. The singer/songwriter is Berlin-based Jamila Al-Yousef who offers a cool chamber pop arrangement to reinforce the positive message behind “Sun”, which is not to fight yourself, just show up, and get on with making your day the best that it can be, using the sun rising and setting as food-for-thought imagery. Jamila’s vocal is likeable and could easily be inspired by legends like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Joan Baez. But she brings another dimension to that inspiration through her culture as a daughter of Palestinian immigrants, and she was in fact born on the day the Berlin Wall fell. Known in Germany as a cultural and political activist and also as a teacher, Jamila Al-Yousef brings a lot of perspective to her music which we can enjoy and appreciate.
“Mysteria” is an instant earworm that takes you there and back to that individualized enigmatic place of fantasy and fun. The singer/songwriter is Windsor, Ontario based MELØ, whose appealing vocal and easy-to-digest songwriting style go a long way – you’ll have no problem singing along to the hook of “Mysteria” after a few listens. While the goal is purely contemporary pop, “Mysteria” is full of early 80’s melodic vibes – which seems very in vogue now for some reason – that draw perhaps from strong, memorable songs by Hall & Oates, David Bowie, and Cyndi Lauper. MELØ knows what he’s doing and has a full album called Songs From The Spirit Box coming that will put his diverse influences on display. For now “Mysteria” is convincing pop candy that you’ll have on repeat.
Despite having the music scene all abuzz back in 2015-16 with his acclaimed album Indigo, working with Daniel Caesar at the inset of his soon-to-be-storied career, and being sampled (uncredited of course) on a Drake song, Toronto’s River Tiber has only released a half-dozen songs since that time. “Sent From Above” is his first release in a year, and like many songs in his repertoire, makes the best of us scratch our heads upon the first few listens. The artist otherwise known as Tommy Paxton-Beasley must have a whirlwind of influences in his head, as he taps into pre-rock era pop music, gospel, classical, and perhaps even 1930’s motion picture scores, which might form a shell of what the song covers musically. Lyrically, the song is sparse, with Tommy singing only a few repeated lines about a miraculous event, making it rely heavily on its piano melody and the lush harmonies. “Sent From Above” is certainly a unique record for these times. To me, it fits more in the “traditional pop” category rather than the past more progressive work of River Tiber, so I’m curious to find out what others who have enjoyed his work will think of it.
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 