BEACH OF DIAMONDS, “She Makes A Mess Everywhere She Goes”
Norwegian rock duo Beach Of Diamonds takes us back to the 2000’s specifically around 2003-04 when Blink-182 and Green Day ruled and other alternative rockers like AFI, My Chemical Romance, and Fall Out Boy were also establishing themselves. Throw in hints of similar but more commercial-oriented acts at the time like McFly and American Hi-Fi and you’ll get the vibe of BoD’s latest single “She Makes A Mess Everywhere She Goes”. Though they say they wrote it for Greta Thunberg, it’s an energetic and I believe humorous song about a gal who leaves relationships in dire straits and then moves on. The vocals and guitar work are grabbers and the song could fit like a glove in North American mainstream or alternative radio faster than you can say “American Idiot”.
UK singer/songwriter Sam Dickinson seems to have exciting music up his sleeve quite often, and it’s been a treat to watch his songwriting and on-record performances grow over the years. He dazzled with “Wild Sun” and “All We Are” from his last releases, but “Diamond Skin” has even more potential for radio play with its contemporary themes of self-worth and self-empowerment. From his upcoming album Off Script, it’s well-produced and not only focuses on the intriguing lyrics but also Sam’s solid, versatile voice, which was recorded in one take! He moves seamlessly in and out of falsetto range, and “Diamond Skin” also has a familiar groove that will definitely make you want to move. Don’t miss this one!
It all seems to have happened very quickly, complete with a deal with Atlantic Records, but Calgary-based singer/songwriter Tate McRae is off to a smoking start as her single “Stupid” receives significant national radio play in Canada. There’s more to 16 year old Tate than that single though as the compelling “All My Friends Are Fake” will demonstrate to you, from her debut EP All The Things I Never Said. The obvious comparisons will be to both Billie Eilish and Alessia Cara, and hey with music this solid, we’ll have to see if this holds true a year from now. “All My Friends Are Fake” has a lot to say about friendships and relationships between young people in the age of social media, where the lines of who is a true friend are often blurred. Her target audience will relate and listen and there is much more undoubtedly to come this year.
After working with the likes of Foster The People and Muse, and receiving several TV placements on various networks, the L.A. duo thanks. (Mario Borgatta and Steve Pagano) score with the sultry, danceable alt.pop ballad “Busy”. The song is carefully crafted and easy to soak in, featuring a fine, somewhat understated vocal, and some choppy, jazzy guitar work, which gives the song that extra bit of pizzazz to make it memorable. “Busy” is definitely a grower so don’t be surprised to find yourself singing along after a few listens, with thanks to thanks.!
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Gregory Kantor. Formerly recording under the name 5 And A Dime, the American producer is also a Dance Dance Revolution Extreme World Record holder, and has created a special MIDI controller for the game. He was hinting at The Grid as a special project a few years back, but it looks to be off to a great start with “Enter The Grid”. This is a driving, relentless, and riveting instrumental, perfect for a video game or even a movie soundtrack (think “Tron”). It’s also a match for a pounding techno dance floor set of bangers, or for late summer nights cruising an empty highway. It’s clear that Kantor has put an awful lot of work into this, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Check out the introductory video below, and the full song above.
When One Direction last recorded about 5 years back – and they never appeared on this chart – no one could have told me that three of the members would be on this chart years later at the same time! And for a second chart in a row, there are three Harry Styles songs in the Top 10. And there’s a long line up of songs waiting to get into both the Top 10 and the Top 30!
So the second 1D member to reach #1 on this chart after Harry is… Zayn! I didn’t care for his first solo album at all, but the second, the overlooked Icarus Falls, is really quite intriguing. I was happy for him to spread his wings and work with a dance dynamo like R3HAB in partnership with fellow producer Jungleboi. So it’s the stunning “Flames” that is on top, just in time for the arrival of its official video (above)! Although we can pretend that the mystery man in black is Zayn, alas he is not in the video.
And speaking again of Harry, and his supurb Fine Line album, “Adore You” advances 7-3 and seems like it might be the logical choice to succeed “Flames” at the top, fanciful video and all.
And right behind is L.A. alt.rockers Awolnation who climb 8-4 with their latest, with an incredibly infectious hook, “The Best”.
The Weeknd’s retrotastic “Blinding Lights” (above) becomes his 4th Top 10 hit on this chart, moving 11-9, while Autograf’s classy deep house track “Ain’t Deep Enough” (below), featuring singer Jared Lee, climbs 12-10. It’s Jared’s second recent appearance in the Top 10 after last year’s #5 with Midnight Kids, “Those Were The Days”.
“Storm” by Famba and Kyra Mastro climbs 14-11 and is the current #1 dance song in the USA. Check out his new EP Wishes Vol. 1, which features his other two big Canadian radio hits “Swear To God” and “Wish You Well”, plus three more new songs.
Ekali is only playing one Canadian date on his upcoming tour, but I’m sure more will follow as the producer has a flair for remembering to make up previously cancelled shows (like in Toronto). From his new album A World Away comes his collaboration with Illenium, “Hard To Say Goodbye”, featuring the voice of Chloe Angelides, which moves up 17-12.
“Starlight” is a quiet, sweetly soulful winner for producer ZEROBADDAYS and singer/songwriter Victor Perry, as it glides up the chart from 19-14.
The Fastest Riser is the previous chart’s highest debut, “Mirage (Don’t Stop)” by the immensely talented Jessie Ware, which advances 23-17. Don’t this silky slice of UK soul slip through the cracks! And if some of the melody sounds slight familiar, and perhaps may have been an unintended source of inspiration, you might catch yourself singing parts of Shannon’s “Let The Music Play”…
Also holding its own amid a busy chart featuring a lot of power players is Toronto area duo Homestead, from their debut EP Beacon, with the danceable rocker “Lifeline” climbing 28-23. Joël and Liam will be performing the entire EP and some new songs this coming Thursday in Toronto at the Northern Maverick Brewing Company, and I’ll be there to check it out!
The Highest Debut at #24 belongs to Russian producer Arty with vocalist Cimo Fränkel on the delightful “Daydreams”, soon to be a festival favourite in its Sultan + Shepard Echoes of Life remix, which sounds like a Coldplay song that’s taken a dive into melodic house. It follows Arty’s 2018 instrumental tribute to Avicii called “Tim” which got to #3. Official video of “Daydreams” is above, the Sultan + Shepard remix is below.
A third One Directioner arrives on the chart for the first time – it’s Louis Tomlinson with his captivating and incredibly sincere ballad “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” at #27. He co-wrote it with the likes of James Newman, singer Wrabel, producer Stuart Crichton, and Cole Citrenbaum from the duo Opia, so lots of fine hands were in the mix. It’s also from Louis’ debut album Walls, after over 3 years of singles-only releases. And the 1D fans are incredibly happy about that. Watch the video for a rather unbelievable ending!
The third debut is “Better Off Without You” by chart returnees Becky Hill and Shift K3Y at #28. These Brits have both been in the Top 10 before. Becky was the voice on Matoma’s “False Alarm” which got to #6 in 2016, while producer Shift K3Y got to #7 in 2015 with one of his early releases, “I Know”. A bit of trivia for you: Shift K3Y’s real name is Louis Jankel, and he is the son of singer, songwriter and producer Chaz Jankel, who not only was a key member/songwriter with Ian Dury & The Blockheads (“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”) but also was prominent on the US dance charts in the early 80’s with the funky “Glad to Know You” and “Ai No Corrida” (later covered by Quincy Jones).
A reminder that the music from my chart and blog are featured regularly on the new online radio station 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 2020 🙂 You can start by joining our new interactive Facebook 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
Dionne Bromfield had a succesful run of about 3 years in the UK when she was a teenager, releasing two acclaimed pop/R&B albums, one of which cracked the Top 40. She is in fact Amy Winehouse’s goddaughter and was signed to Amy’s label Lioness, distributed by Island/Universal. An opportunity to become a TV presenter arrived, and Dionne is now back recording after a 9 year absence, and she’s only 23. “Bad Intentions” is a sweet and spry slice of UK soul, with obvious inspiration from her late godmother, but I hear the contemporary influence coming from the likes of Janelle Monae or Solange. She has the range and the phrasing to sell you instantly in “Bad Intentions”, which is what happens when you fall for the wrong person and realize it later. I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more from Dionne this year.
Although you may not have seen his face in a video before, the name Chaz Cardigan might seem somewhat familiar to you from reading these blog pages. A similarly named singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist named Spazz Cardigan released a few highly praised singles a couple of years ago that somehow never gelled, though it appears many folks nevertheless had their eyes and ears on his music. Flash forward with record deal in hand from Capitol’s new Loud Robot imprint comes the freshly minted Chaz Cardigan with “Not OK” (yes, Chaz is his real name). Be sure to check out the creative video which enhances the positives about not being okay, complete with tons of gummy bears, if you please. The singer draws a lot from 90’s Beck at the start of the song, but by the end of “Not OK”, it’s become a righteous anthem that would appeal to 5SOS fans, for those times when you’re down and the world looks ugly and you need to chill. With the big label push I think you’ll be hearing the music of Chaz Cardigan on the radio very soon.
“Hold Me Down” is a pleasing mix of electronic dance and alt.rock from NYC producers Deerock and Wyle with vocal by Connecticut singer Ian Matthew. Deerock and Wyle have remixed tracks by Sam Feldt and Two Friends, and hold their own as producers bringing out the rebellious, anthemic qualities of “Hold Me Down”. Ian Matthew’s voice has some of the sneer of a Billie Joe Armstrong but the pop tones of a Ross Lynch (of R5 and The Driver Era), so comes out somewhere in-between with a friendly vocal that’s off to lead the charge. The beats will work well on the dance floor while the other instrumentation amply covers the pop and rock bases.
Singing and songwriting duo and my fellow Torontonians Crash Adams take you back to the 60’s days of 2 minute singles, suits and all, channeled through bands like Weezer, They Might Be Giants, Blink-182 and others. This results in a tongue-in-cheek, slightly sarcastic portrayal in the video above, where they cruise down a street on a flaming red sofa in suburbia to share the duo’s convincing brand of mirth. And what more can you ask for as an introduction? They nail the choreography in the video and the song is really slice-of-life and much ado about nothing except to make you smile. I’ll be ready for the longer dose of Crash Adams for next time!
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