CHURCH OF TREES and rOb PreuSS and CAROLE POPE , “World’s A Bitch”
Nothing could mirror the truth more right now, for those of us in lockdown, than the sentiments expressed in “World’s A Bitch”. The song is a total rocking blast from Canadian synthpop project Church Of Trees, and it’s co-written with (and of course sung by) the legendary Carole Pope of Rough Trade, as well as Spoons/Honeymoon Suite keyboard wizard Rob Preuss. Carole’s patented expressively potent vocal, and the hard-hitting lyrics embody a great release for all of the uncertainty we face during the pandemic. Rob is now a revered Broadway musical director in NYC, and has worked with Church Of Trees for a few years now (you can hear some of his remixes of their past releases) as well as on Carole’s last album Landfall, so there’s precise, rich instrumentation behind it all. “World’s A Bitch” is a timely, honest blend of solid Canadian talents. A video is coming soon!
With its bright melodies and punchy lyrics and vocal, “Undefined (Don’t Call Me)” by San Francisco-born, L.A.-based Elise Go will not only catch your attention, but it will stay with you long after you listen. Elise is a cum laude Berklee College of Music graduate (having won a songwriting scholarship to study there), a veteran of several professional vocal competitions as a teenager, and, most recently, was cast as Princess Pop on NBC’s “I Can See Your Voice”.
“Undefined” is a blunt, anthemic middle-finger salute to the behaviours in vague social media relationships. Elise says, “I wrote this song of my frustration in being in a situation like this and because I was gaslit in my experience, music was the safest place for me to voice how I felt”.
If the song sounds fresh and driven, it’s because live instruments were used in its making. Taking its cue from a wicked bassline, you’ll hear an entire horn section, which gives the song a soulful, Broadway-like lift. Elise’s vocal is crisp and on-point, making “Undefined” a sassy, memorable winner.
The singer has also launched an Instagram campaign with a hotline where fans can even call in and talk about their relationship woes! @nihaoelise on Instagram for details.
For some people, Daryl Hall & John Oates’ #1 smash “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” would be untouchable as one of their best classics. It’s also my favourite Hall & Oates song, so the fact that I’m writing about the recent cover by NYC’s January Jane is a very, very good thing – as readers of this blog know, I’m not one for cover versions in general. The trio however just crushes it with a straight up pop/rock version with superb guitar work by Mitch Mitchell and a vibrant, on-point and totally different vocal from the original by singer Pat Via. Not to worry, “I Can’t Go For That” still retains some of the soulful elements that made it such a draw back in the day. January Jane appears to have been mainly a live performing act over the past few years, and is rounded out by the bright notes of keyboardist Peter Scialla. They’ve done Hall & Oates justice by making their own mark on “I Can’t Go For That”.
Back in November, I wrote about the debut release by Dublin, Ireland’s Four Nights (aka Tommy Buckley) called “Want You Always”, which brought together a flair for 80’s-flavoured pop melody with a vulnerable vocal and relatable lyrics. While that catchy song has yet to run its course with me, Four Nights’ latest one called “Grow So Cold” arrived yesterday. Like with “Want You Always”, Tommy definitely has a firm way with a melody and song structure. “Grow So Cold” flows beautifully with straight up pop/rock at its core, as its story about a relationship on the wane unfolds. A steadfast vocal and hooky syncopated bass line, which is uncharacteristic for a song like this, help make “Grow So Cold” memorable and worthy of your attention.
Last year, Miami producer and DJ Ebaniez showed promise with his house track “Here For Me”, which I wrote about. He’s now back with an even tighter and catchier deep house song called “Tonight”. This one uses bass synths as highlights to accentuate its snappy vocal chorus. The song captures a dynamic setting of a neverending evening of fun in a warm climate. The production has nicely layered instrumentation that is neither understated nor goes over the top. Ebaniez is also a violinist by profession, so melody comes second nature. Add “Tonight” to your favourite house playlist for some slick nighttime entertainment.
It’s been a long January, particularly for those of us in lockdown or with stay-at-home orders, but we will all get through it, and thank goodness for the shortest month of the year, February! While some long-lasting favourites depart and will move down the chart in the coming weeks, there’s no shortage of great music to succeed them! Edition 606 has four new entries and lots of movement particularly in the Top 10.
“Give It Back” (above), the powerful house banger by The Disco Fries, Giiants and Allison Park obtains a third appearance (six weeks) at #1. Looking to replace it are either NOTD and Catello’s “Nobody” (steady at #2, below) or “Like Gold” (also below) by Loud Luxury, Frank Walker and Stephen Puth, which charges 11-4 and is the Fastest Riser on the chart. It’s also Loud Luxury’s fifth Top 5 on this chart, and Stephen’s second (“Sexual Vibe” peaked at #5 two years ago).
This is quite an amazing Top 10, with new peaks from Francesco Yates’ “Late Night Love” (5-3, his personal best on the chart), Jerome Price and Cally Rhodes’ deep house zinger “Chasing Feelings” (6-5), 2020 carryover “Chew On My Heart” by James Bay (9-6, above), and Why Don’t We’s “Fallin’ (Adrenaline) (8-7, below).
Karen Harding gets her second Top 10 with “Let’s Get Together”, this time in partnership with Scotland’s Illyus & Barrientos (12-8), following last year’s #1 “Undo My Heart”.
Soaring into the Top 10 for the first time is Japanese-British sensation Rina Sawayama with the heavily Lady Gaga inspired “Lucid” climbing 15-9.
Lastly, Oliver Heldens and Party Pupils both land in the Top 10 for the first time too with “Set Me Free” (14-10) featuring vocalist and one half of Party Pupils, MAX. It’s MAX’s 9th Top 10 on this chart, either as a solo or featured artist!
Three unique dance tracks by British artists make other waves on the chart as they move up.
“Synthesizer” has a cruel and droll sense of humour about it, but the riveting new song by dance phenoms Faithless and vocalist Nathan Ball climbs 16-11.
Another veteran dance producer, Hot Since 82, is going gangbusters on the chart with “Sinnerman” rising 20-14, featuring vocalist/songwriter Ed Graves.
Watch for “Tell Me” by producer Bobby Harvey and vocalist Danny Dearden to break out further in two weeks. For now, “Tell Me” moves up 27-21.
I, like the rest of the world, cannot resist the many charms of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License”. The heartfelt and beautifully produced ballad bows on the chart at #25.
L.A. based dance producer Mahalo has become a mainstay on the chart over the past few years, and I usually appreciate his darker, deep house tracks. One of those is “Not Watching Anymore”, which arrives at #28 and becomes his 9th chart entry.
I’ve written about a few Indian producers, or those of Indian descent over the years. The first one to be born in India to appear on this chart is DJ Shaan, with vocalist Londin Thompson, with the pop-flavoured dance track “By Heart”, which arrives at #29. Other producers of Indian descent to appear on the chart in the past include Spirix (born in the USA) and Panjabi MC (born in England).
At #30 is the new winner from SoCal producer Jay Bird, about whose music I’ve written these past few years. His songs haven’t appeared on the chart till now, and that has all changed with his new personal best for me called “Escape”, featuring an outstanding and soulful vocal by Chrxstal Sarah.
A reminder that the music from my chart and blog are featured regularly on the online radio station The New Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers and listen for songs from the chart too 🙂 Scroll down the station’s main page to listen to lots of variety from across the decades! I’m the new music consultant for the station so you can expect even more in 2021 🙂 You can start by joining Radio GTA’s new interactiveFacebook group too!!
View the full BILLCS Top 30right 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! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify:BILLCS Top 30 Songs
The prolific Victor Perry offers his first solo release since last year’s EP Rewind with “Stories”. It’s a charming and hopeful ode to past relationships that weren’t meant to be. We can only think that those past friends and lovers that we will never see and who aren’t connected to anyone else we know will speak about us in our favour. It’s a cool observation and Victor conveys it with his always welcome earnestness and eloquence. Victor’s vast talents can traverse almost any style and genre, but his solo pop/R&B releases open another very inviting door which we otherwise don’t get to see through. Collaborating with German producers/songwriters Cal1 and l’essay has delivered a seamless execution. Like Victor’s songs on Rewind, particularly “What I Deserve”, “Stories” is one grower to soak in and let linger.
“Sugar” sparkles like all of the glitz and glamour we imagine when we think of the warm fantasyland that is Los Angeles. It’s a fun, teasing pop confection brought to you by Seattle producers Dance Yourself Clean and SoCal vocalist/songwriter Michael Medrano. We’ve heard Michael move from style to style pretty effortlessly over the past few years, and “Sugar” is a winner that would be played in clubs if they were open. The production draws from 70’s disco flavours and Michael’s falsetto gives it a huge lift.
Calica is a singer/songwriter/producer from Miami who has paired up with Chicago songwriter/producer/arranger Daniel Loumpouridis for “Don’t”, which is culled from their EP called Lens. It’s dreamy, almost low-key psychedelic and 80’s flavoured sophisticated pop for those who enjoy their music tastes outside of the mainstream. Calica is a graduate of the University of Miami Frost School of Music who broke out within the last year on Tik Tok when an excerpt of her song “Little Girl” went viral. She’s also recorded and collaborated with Grammy-nominated dance producers SMLE, whose music has graced these blog pages. At age 17, Daniel Loumpouridis co-produced and co-wrote Louis The Child’s breakout hit “It’s Strange” (featuring K-Flay) and received notice from Taylor Swift and Lorde, among others. He hasn’t looked back since, becoming a one-guy A&R, recruiting talent for the likes of Alex Da Kid. So with Calica’s well-honed vocal landscapes and Daniel’s layered electronic textures, it will be no surprise if this collaboration receives enough traction to quickly move them out of the indie scene, making it a good time for you to get to know them through “Don’t”.
Karen Harding mixes it up by following two heavier, sophisticated-sounding deep house bangers, “Undo My Heart” and “Let’s Get Together”, with the spry “Morning”, in collaboration with UK producer ShiftK3Y. The son of 80’s rock musician and dance producer Chas Jankel (“Glad To Know You”), Shift K3Y, like Karen, has had his taste of singles success with catchy gems like “I Know” in recent years. “Morning” is a fast-moving, uncomplicated pop/dance track which shows off both Karen’s vocal power and range. It contemplates letting loose and being so wrapped up with your partner and stuck in deep moments that you lose track of time and don’t even care if morning comes. I’d pitch “Morning” to fans of Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, as well as dance music contemporaries like Vassy and Becky Hill – it has loads of potential for either genre.
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