Tag Archives: alternative

“Rain”is a singalong highlight of @CallMeKarizma’s new EP Emo, featuring #ErikAstle

CALL ME KARIZMA featuring ERIK ASTLE, “Rain”

The prolific Minnesota rapper/songwriter Call Me Karizma brings us his most recent EP Emo, following the single “Disconnected”, where he showed off his equally fine singing voice.  Emo sticks to Riz’s trademark downbeat rap style, which always has a lot to say, expressed often in amazingly simple words.  Such is the case with “Rain”, a singalong in which he duets with lower-voiced Erik Astle, after a few past ones with women such as Cass on “F U Till I F U”.  So in “Rain” the guys mope away while recalling past relationships wanting those old feelings to ‘wash away’.  It’s very much like bored kids just sitting by the window watching it rain, and perhaps that’s why Riz samples the voices of children, including what sounds like one from the classic Little Rascals movie series.  Nonetheless, it’s no mean feat to right simple-sounding songs, and few people get it right, but more often than not Call Me Karizma always finds the right words in the songs on Emo, including his tip of the hat to those who have experienced mental illness in “Zombie”.  Check out “Rain” and the Emo EP on Spotify.

Call Me Karizma is in the midst of a US tour also featuring Cosmos & Creature (and I’m sooo jealous as it isn’t coming anywhere near me).  Check out Call Me Karizma’s website for tour details.

“Manifest” is direct hip hop/progressive soul from @BrandynBurnette’s “Feature Films”

https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/manifest

BRANDYN BURNETTE, “Manifest”

Brandyn Burnette continues to find unique ways to deliver his contemporary progressive soul takes on important messages.  “Manifest”, the second dip into the upcoming “Feature Films” EP, is about trying to head off what are normally everyday problems before they start and ultimately fester, but what does that really mean in terms of living life in today’s world?  It’s one of Brandyn’s most philosophical offerings to date, this time featuring hip hop verses as well as spoken word, which also makes this particularly personal.  The song it reminds me most of what he’s released so far is the hip hop remix of “I Wanna Be (Free)”.  Brandyn continues to be one-of-a-kind, seemingly carrying his own flag, but if you listen much closer, that flag is for all of us.

Gripping, cinematic “Warrior” comes from Grammy-nominee @SteveJames with vocal by @Lights

STEVE JAMES featuring LIGHTS, “Warrior”

While it has a somewhat common Asian theme to its melody, the latest from Grammy nominee Steve James (for co-writing Justin Bieber’s song “Purpose”) comes with a huge win of an assist from another Canadian, the award-winning Lights!  Her vocal is suitably ferocious, actually recalling fellow countrymate Alanis Morissette at her fiercest.  It’s a big cinematic story – maybe an accompanying video will surface – with a lot of rock flavour mixed into Steve’s complex production.  Steve James and Lights are definitely a winning force together with “Warrior” 🙂

As love and mind connect: “Brainheart” by @LucienDante

LUCIEN DANTE, “Brainheart”

In 2015, one of the most unique and refreshing albums I heard was Lucien Dante’s Our Of We, an independent release which yielded one of my favourite songs of that year, the completely enchanting “Black Water”, which featured an easy going, expressive vocal.  That was followed up by an animated video of the song as well as another video for “Love Me Lessons”, which celebrated young people having a joyous blast together without attention to gender, clothing, etc., just being who they are.  It definitely set the stage for where Lucien, now based in L.A. after relocating from Chicago, is heading with “Brainheart”.  The song is about how love and the mind connect, when emotions and thoughts are synchronized to a point and you revel in being with your partner.  Lucien is extremely ambitious – producing, writing and mixing this song, as well as being a painter, sculptor and clothing designer.  “Brainheart”, in addition to its loving lyrics, is completed with a bright, feel-good melody and a more assured vocal.  Watch for more about Lucien Dante as the year goes on, including the possibility of a tour.

Hypnotic and powerful,”Another Friend” is the latest by L.A.’s @DanaAndTheWolf

https://soundcloud.com/danaandthewolf/another-friend-1

DANA AND THE WOLF, “Another Friend” (free DL)

I tell ya, L.A.’s alt.rock duo Dana And The Wolf are going to have one winner of an EP or album, should all of the songs be as musically consistent and diverse stylistically and lyrically as their most recent three, the latest of which is “Another Friend”.  Take an at times Amy Winehouse-ish jazz/blues soaked-vocal, send it through to the anguish of the end of a relationship, and augment it with a powerful soundscape with nightmarish highlights (and a beautiful high note near the end), and “Another Friend” may just be for you.  I’ve already compared Dana Hobson’s voice to Shirley Manson, Florence Welch, and Pat Benatar – she’s got true chameleon qualities.  “Another Friend” is equally as compelling as previously released (and blogged about) “Attitude” and “Close Enough”, with Daniel Wolf’s wall of drums, synths and guitars that doesn’t let up after a pause around the 1:20 mark.  Keep ’em coming Dana and Daniel – download “Another Friend” at the link above for free.

NYC’s @AndyxSuzuki @AndTheMethod continues with diverse sophomore rock album “The Glass Hour”

andysuzukithemethod

ANDY SUZUKI & THE METHOD, The Glass Hour

After previewing two outstanding singles “Fight” and “I Need You More (The More You Leave)” in earlier blog posts, Andy Suzuki & The Method’s sophomore album The Glass Hour has arrived.  

You can generically label it a Rock album if you wish, but it’s a complimentary fusion of styles which lead through the guitar wizardry of John Mayer through the story-telling of Joshua Radin through softer R&B ballad tones of John Legend, and then inject some gospel flavour that Kirk Franklin fans would appreciate.  It’s all well-connected together through Andy Suzuki’s committed vocals and passionate guitar work, and Kozza Olatunji-Babumba’s drum and percussion work is totally on the same level.  

The album to me is at its best when it’s skewing R&B on “Shelter” and “Overtime” as well as the tight, danceable pop of “I Need You More”, likely the most radio-friendly song.  But then there’s the power and urgency of “Fight” and “Come Forward”, as well as the deep sentiment of “Mama Told Me”.  

All in all, The Glass Hour has a vibrancy and zeal for tantalizing your musical taste buds with variety plus, and it all works. You can hear it all in a show coming near you, so be sure to check out their website for tour dates.  Give The Glass Hour a listen below and then be sure to pick it up at any online digital store.

Bust it: “Move” by @SaintMotel gets a funk-fueled makeover by @Jenauxmusic

SAINT MOTEL, “Move” (Jenaux remix)

I’ve been following the progress of L.A. quartet Saint Motel since 2010 and more so after seeing a set in front of a small crowd back in about 2012 at the time of their indie album Voyeur.  Now with the revised Elektra label, Saint Motel have broken through the alternative scene and continue to attract the attention of the dance crowd that has known them since the Sam Sparro remix of “Dear Dictator”.  NYC’s Jenaux provides a funk-fueled, but not overpowering, official remix of “Move” that definitely has a club setting in mind at a high point in the evening when everyone should be on the floor moving.  There’s no reason why dance music radio or clubs can’t support this one and bravo for allowing Jenaux to work his magic with it.  Give it a listen above… you can dance if you want to!

Toxic: Toronto’s @Blajkofficial will leave you wanting much more with “Lethal”

blajk

BLAJK, “Lethal”

So I’m a music blogger from Toronto, and yet I have to find out about Toronto quartet Blajk from my well-respected American blogger and nice guy Jon Ali 😮  Nonetheless it’s never too late to find out about promising new talent.  Blajk released their EP Limited last summer.  “Lethal” is one of four songs and it’s a dark, chilled out song that will catch you by surprise, largely thanks to vocalist Jordan Radics’ highly identifiable deep tones, which remind me somewhat of fellow Canadian group The Tea Party’s Jeff Martin but with a more deep-down soulful root.  So “Lethal” definitely goes for the kill and be prepared for it to be in your head for days.  I look forward to hearing more about Blajk in my hometown 🙂  Check out the video for “Lethal” below and pick up the EP on iTunes.

“You” is captivating progressive soul from #Toronto-based singer/songwriter @itsJoelmusic

JOËL, “You”

Toronto-based singer/songwriter Joël Lemay is back, dabbling this time in acoustic progressive soul with “You”.  You’ll recall that when I wrote about Joël’s “You Fucked Up” last Spring, it received the most blog post views I had in a few years for one post, and the song subsequently reached #12 on the BILLCS Top 30.  “You” is very understated for Joël, after seeing his live show back in November, it seems like it draws on the potency of songs by R&B singers like D’Angelo and Maxwell, and also fits alongside recent songs by the likes of Brandyn Burnette.  Where the song ignites more is about 2/3 of the way through when some wild background vocals surface and bring out a different side to the song.  Be sure to stick with “You” all the way through at the link above to hear more of what the music of Joël is all about. 

#BILLCSTop30 #501 – January 23/17

Here at the BILLCS Music Blog, we continue to burn down discos until the morning comes…

The Top 10

  • Or so sing Pet Shop Boys, as “Burn” from their album Super handily continues its reign at the top.  We’ll have to wait to see if any other song challenges in two weeks.

  • “D E E P In NY”, Bobby Nourmand’s brilliant mix of hip hop and EDM, slides up a notch to #2 to try and rival Pet Shop Boys two weeks from now.
  • Don’t discount Brothers by Saxity featuring Strøm, either, as this carefree song about friendship advances to #3.  The duo have a collaboration on deck with American singer Nathalie Archangel too, with the same songwriters no less 🙂
  • “All The Way”, a fun-loving instrumental by Sweden’s Hellberg, continues to rise up 7-5.

https://soundcloud.com/putainbeau/hellberg-all-the-way

  • Tony Moran & Jason Walker know how to have a blast together making songs, and “Say Yes” is the latest collaboration, moving 9-6.

  • Vancouver’s Felix Cartal has his first of two entries cracking the Top 10 with frequent vocal collaborator Ofelia K on “Drifting Away”, climbing 17-9.
  • “Light” by Dutchman San Holo continues to tread in the Billboard Top 20 Electronic Songs chart, and also continues to advance on this chart too, soaring 18-10.

Movin’ On Up

  • It looks like another young Dutchman, Steve Void, is about to get his first Top 10 here with No Mondays with “Chemistry”, featuring a lovely vocal by Clara Mae.  It rises 13-11.  Steve has been in the Top 10 with remixes last year – SNBRN’s “Beat The Sunrise” got to #5, while “False Alarm” by Matoma & Becky Hill reached #6.
  • L.A.’s Mahalo is on a roll with a splendid remix of ZHU’s “In The Morning” following a couple of originals, one being “Be My Love” (featuring Cat Lewis) which climbs 16-12.
  • The fastest riser on the chart is Phil Good’s ode to “Sleeping In”, which in a Sean Turk bedroom bass remix is more than about just that.  It wastes no time rocketing up the chart 22-13.

  • All of the last chart’s debuts are well on their way.  DNCE’s “Naked” bounds 25-19 (above), with Felix Cartal’s second entry “Keep Up” (featuring Steph Jones in a Ben Zamora remix) jumping 27-20 (below), Throttle’s pairing with Michael Buble for a remix of “My Kind Of Girl” rising 26-22, and would-be sports anthem “#Bomber!” by Italy’s BeatmartHz & DJ Mirko B climbing 29-23.

Three Debuts

  • There is no denying that The Chainsmokers were wise to wait till January to unleash “Paris”, now that “Closer” has hit its stride.  The guys know their audience and wrote another song to which anyone can relate, capturing a snapshot and the accompanying emotion to make the song soar.  Once again Drew Taggart’s vocal totally suits the song and the chorus is a positive singalong that will endure throughout 2017.  It arrives at #15, giving it a good shot at the top… soon!  The Chainsmokers did reach #1 here with “Closer”, as well as #2 in 2015 with “Let You Go” (featuring Great Good Fine OK), and #8 with “Don’t Let Me Down” (featuring Daya).
  • Debuting on the chart is Miami producer Alyx Ander with the seductive “Memories Of You” featuring an amazing vocal by Srey Davi.  This one will get under your skin… it arrives at #27. It’s the first appearance by Nettwerk Records on this chart since 2011 too.

  • The last debut belongs to British producer KDA with “Just Say” featuring rising American vocalist Tinashe.  Not much is known about KDA but he did manage to fend off One Direction and scored a UK #1 in late 2015 with “Turn The Music Louder (Rumble)” (featuring Tinie Tempah and Katy B).  “Just Say” is classic American-style house with European flair, and it’s no surprise it’s already in the Top 20 of the Billboard Club Play chart.

View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here, and be sure to click on the photos to hear all of the songs.

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

Listen for me on http://www.planetradio.ca live on Tuesday evenings, and with my Pick of the Week segment throughout the week 🙂  See below for details!