Wanna brighten your day? Maybe it’s time to take a little trip and slip away to wherever you want with the person you adore. Those are the sentiments that come across in the latest from New Jersey-based singer/actor Val Emmich with “Hey Hey Hey”. I like when songwriters can get right down to the basics and write an uncomplicated song that seals the deal in 3 minutes. And Val does just that, with a help from a fine vocal assist from fellow New Jersey performer Christina Alessi. Val’s no stranger to my personal chart as songs from his 2008 release Little Daggers reached the Top 10 (“Get On With It”, #3, and “Down”, #10). “Hey Hey Hey” comes from Val’s upcoming EP Pack Your Bags, Pack Your Heart.You’ll find from this linkthat you can download “Hey Hey Hey” for free, but also that you can only purchase the EP by buying a ticket to Val’s Stage It show on Tuesday September 30. Enjoy!
This edition of Songs Of Innocence is in fact an 11 song preview of the full album which is due for official release on October 13, also featuring acoustic sessions, two new songs, and alternate versions of two songs within (“The Troubles” and “Sleep Like A Baby Tonight”). So it’s a reverse promotion to what other performers have done recently – U2 has given us most of the album to enjoy, with the extras to follow instead. I was wondering what U2 would do next after their solid (and originally free) charity single from earlier this year, “Invisible”, didn’t really resonate with music fans.
I guess like many people, it would be interesting to know why the decision with iTunes to create the free download, for a band that has already made millions of dollars from records and touring. There are a number of other secure ways of creating a download that would have seemed less intrusive. I mean iTunes now creates a lot of people’s record collections, which of course have a deep personal attachment. Every artist has fans who would have been delighted with this. But imagine if it was Justin Bieber or One Direction? It would have been received even less, uh, warmly. And I’m hoping that iTunes will allow people who downloaded Songs Of Innocence to ‘complete the album’ rather than buy the entire package – that would be a nice gesture.
As for the album preview itself? It’s a fine release. I’m not sure if U2 will be able to surpass their classic era of late 80’s and early 90’s albums, but there are many songs on the Danger Mouse produced Songs Of Innocence which have lots of potential. In particular “The Troubles” (lyric video above), with featured vocals by Lykki Li, is an outstanding collaboration that should receive notice. At least five of the other songs – “Song For Someone”, “Raised By Wolves”, “Every Breaking Wave”, “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)”, and “Cedarwood Road” – will all catch your attention with the ever-distinct guitar work by The Edge and some Bono vocal work which will remind you of that classic era of U2 that I already referenced.
Despite the way that its promotion has occurred, do be sure to give this preview of U2’s Songs Of Innocence a fair shot. Read more about iton U2’s website.
New York City rockers The Ugly Club are in a state of evolution with their latest single “Passengers”. Still on the alternative tip but a ways away from the progressive rock and Radiohead influenced sounds on their last album You Belong To The Minutes, “Passengers” is what could happen if Cage The Elephant suddenly decided to listen to a lot of 70’s Parliament/Funkadelic tunes, definitely borrowing a slick groove and horns to marry with contemporary grunge-tinged rock. This is a surprising and noteworthy indie release for The Ugly Club that’s full of promise. Get it on iTunes.
THE KNOCKS featuring POWERS, “Classic” (RAC remix)
It’s the end-of-summer song that could still be an uncharacteristic hit. And it’s esteemed DJ/producer RAC who has taken “Classic” by fellow dance music makers The Knocks (featuring duo Powers) to another level. He strips away the song’s original funky edge in favour of a 70’s vibe whose piano riff screams Andrea True Connection. The song’s easy going and jaunty melody make it a natural for the dance floor. I loved The Knocks’ take on “Midnight City” (featuring vocalist Mandy Lee) so this collaboration with Powers goes down sooo smoothly.
Unbuttoned is a Toronto area music project brought to you by Casey Manierka-Quaile, aka Casey MQ erstwhile member of the latest edition of long-time faves Spoons. “Shy Cry” is a soft, unassuming and affecting song that will stay in your head, not unlike mid-80’s quieter songs by China Crisis or The Blue Nile, aided by a beautifully choreographed video. The dancers all wear masks (not easy to dance with, either!) but long to be held and touched, or to hold and touch, to draw out whatever emotion might be residing inside your being. Casey’s singing blends nicely with additional vocals by Kami Apong. There’s more to hear than just “Shy Cry” though. Unbuttoned has released their full album Planes, and you can hear (and purchase) it ontheir Bandcamp page. “Shy Cry” is a promising start.
L.A.-based quartet Saint Motel (who have recently scored a record deal with Parlophone-Warner) have attracted some unanticipated attention with the title song from their new EP “My Type”, which recently appeared in the UK Top 40 Singles chart. Not bad at all for a band who often write complicated songs set to whimsical and wistful melodies. “Cold Cold Man” prominently features the latter, reminiscent of the band’s “Puzzle Pieces” from their Voyeur album of two years ago (and I got to see their Toronto show). But the lyrics this time are more direct and straight-forward, which could lead to more radio play for “Cold Cold Man” too. Saint Motel usually creates intriguing videos (mainly directed by singer A/J Jackson) to promote their songs, going right back to their droll bizarreness in “Dear Dictator” (below) which became one of my favorites of 2010 and caught the attention of Sam Sparro for a remix, so I’m hoping we’ll be seeing more from Saint Motel. Listen to the entire EP of My Type above; “Cold Cold Man” is three songs in.
Boy, was I glad to see even MORE new Semi-Precious Weapons music surface this year in the form of thoughtful and affecting but still very edgy “Brando”. While I missed the raw-raw-raw, uninhibited new-glam rock sound of their older songs like “Magnetic Baby”, I definitely embraced the glossier, more pop-oriented and anthemic songs on their Aviation album, released earlier this year. “Aviation High” still resonates as a mystical singalong that should have taken the band to greater heights. While Aviation now seems like a transitional release, “Brando” reels back some of the eager-to-please and large sound for a sweeping and grandiose song with emotion on its sleeve. Lead singer Justin Tranter scores big time with his vocal here, I can’t wait to hear him perform it in concert. You’ll be humming “Brando” for days! And if a new album is on deck for later in the year, let’s hope for a North American tour to promote it. Canada misses you SPW, well done!
Stargroves is a five-piece New York City band which represents lead singer, songwriter and producer Teddy Watson, who is the album’s cover boy. It’s one of those alternative pop records whose depth isn’t easily summed up in a few paragraphs. It’s certainly a highly personalized effort – I can’t really begin to understand all of the stories without many more subsequent listens. But the music is pure ear candy in every best sense, introduced by the opener instrumental “Untitled”, preparing you for luscious arrangements that run through some fairly lengthy songs. Those arrangements include strings, which form a classical base.
But Stargroves is obviously contemporary, and best comparisons would find a place somewhere between Stars and Owl City. Particularly reminiscent of the latter is the duet between Teddy and Oscar nominated actress Abigail Breslin on new single “Westfjords”, and she also lends beautiful contrast in “Within Me A Lunatic Sings”. Like someone such as Rufus Wainwright, besides his own playing, Teddy’s voice is another of the album’s attractions. He doesn’t sound like anyone else, Adam Young of Owl City is likely the closest. It makes a unique experience listening to stories like “Half Awake In Reykjavik” (Teddy spent several months in Iceland writing songs for this album), “A Good Child Sings A Good Song”, and another memorable single, “Hats In The Air” (video below).
Stargroves’ album has magical moments which begin to spell great things for Teddy and his mates. It takes some effort to get through it all but you will be very glad you did.
UK singer/songwriter/producer Jamie Scott is hardly a newcomer to the biz, but suddenly he’s a very hot commodity! His own first releases go back to 2004, he is one half of the duo Graffiti6 (whose own “Free” got to #5 on my personal chart last year), and is a prolific songwriter – Enrique Iglesias’ “Heartbeat”, Matt Cardle & Melanie C’s “Loving You”, 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Over and Over”, The Vamps’ “Wild Heart”, plus new ones by Christina Perri, Colbie Caillat, and Ella Henderson… and of course One Direction’s “The Story Of My Life”, “You & I”, and “Midnight Memories” – are all his co-writes!! This has all led to a solo record deal which will see his album My Hurricane released in October. Ahead of this we’ve had the premiere of the title song but best of all is the warm and affecting ballad “Unbreakable” which shows off his terrific songwriting skills as well as a sound completely unlike Graffiti6. It will take a few listens, but “Unbreakable” will get under your skin, and should establish a long solo career for Jamie Scott.
The vacation season is almost as busy as being at work, though with Robin Williams’ passing last night it didn’t seem appropriate to post anything amid the sadness.
But on we go, to a new personal chart with six new contenders premiering, four of which I’ve already written about!
The Top 10
My Top 2 songs stay the same. House Rockerz/Davis Redfield/Carl Man continue to light up the chart with “Electrify The Night” at #1, while former #1 Tristan Thompson hangs at #2 with “Tidal Wave”. Tristan’s coming to Toronto for a benefit performance in a few weeks so I’ll keep you posted on that!
Eyeing the top spot for two weeks from now is the brilliant pairing of Sweden’s Anton Ewald with Denmark’s Medina on “This Could Be Something”, from Anton’s EP On My Way. There’s truly international potential for this one, hopefully it can still break out of the Nordic countries!
New to the Top 5 at #5 is Finland’s Hannis with her europop/dubstep beauty, “Time Has Come”, one of the most different and alluring songs of 2014.
Charli XCX’s “Boom Clap” from “The Fault In Our Stars” appears to be headed for #1 in many places around the world and will become one of 2014’s defining pop songs. It climbs to #7 this week. It might be the best song Roxette never wrote! *Hums “Joyride*
The fastest riser once again on the chart is no stranger to that accolade, Bright Light Bright Light, with “I Believe” from his new album Life Is Easy, climbing 16-8. “An Open Heart”, which got to #1 earlier in the year on my chart through its appearance on the In Your Care EP, will be the next official single release from the album. Woooohoooo!
I’m so torn between two or three other songs from the Deluxe Edition of Shattered Ice that another Adam Tyler song will have to wait for two more weeks to appear on the chart. In the meantime, leading the way is the single “Knew You Better” – love all of the Madonna-ish French dialogue – rising 13-9.
Right behind, after releasing his Deluxe Edition of The Stories That Occurred last week on iTunes, is Sam Dickinson, receiving his second Top 10 placing on this chart with “When You Left Me”, moving up 14-10.
Movin’ On Up
A bit of a log jam happening for some fine songs, with a couple of last chart’s debuts making headway and looking to climb more in the next few weeks!
“Ten Feet Tall”, the affecting collaboration by Afrojack and Wrabel, climbs 20-13 – does anyone else think the melody sounds a bit like Marc Cohn’s “Walking In Memphis” at times?
Despite its title, “No Fun” by The Presets is indeed a fun, funky, grooving ride, full of great effects and a fine vocal. It rises 21-14.
Zorro Blakk’s second chart entry, the bouncy “Big City Girls (Don’t Fall In Love With Small Town Boys)”, continues to move up after “Good News (For People Who Love Bad News)” peaked at #7 on the last chart. “Big City Girls” jumps 18-15.
Look for “Stranger” by Chris Malinchak featuring Mikky Ekko (22-18), “Music Gods” by Davis Redfield featuring Carl Man (23-19), and “Love In The 21st Century” by Neon Trees (25-20) to break out more in two weeks.
A Half Dozen New Arrivals
Sam Smith’s “I’m Not The Only One” debuts at #22. It wasn’t what I expected as a follow up single to “Stay With Me” but it could do as well on the charts. It’s also accompanied by a terrific and sometimes hard-to-watch video featuring “Glee”‘s Dianna Agron. Give it a watch at the top of the post.
Corey Niles has his second chart entry with a rollicking slice of hip hop/pop, “Get To Know You”, featuring fellow Toronto rapper Ish. It bows at #25.
It’s all about the hook and Brandyn Burnette knows how to write ’em. It takes a couple of listens but “Thanks For Nothing” is a no-brainer winner. It arrives at #26.
Remember those times spent with friends and rocking out to your favourite performers? Eli Lieb makes it an emotional memory fest with “Zeppelin” at #27.
Talented Knoxville TN-based newcomer Lyonn arrives with “Just Say Hello” at #28 from his EP Promenade. Huge thumbs up for the adorable and sincere accompanying video.
All of a sudden 5SOS are one of the biggest bands in the world. The Aussie quartet lands on the chart for a second time as “She Looks So Perfect” exits with the pretty pop/rock ballad “Amnesia” at #29.
The Full Chart
Listen to the songs or watch the videos using the links on the pictures on the pretty and detailed web edition of my chart.
01 01 ELECTRIFY THE NIGHT House Rockerz featuring Davis Redfield & Carl Man 02 02 TIDAL WAVE Tristan Thompson 05 03 THIS COULD BE SOMETHING Anton Ewald featuring Medina 04 04 LITTLE ME (Steve Smart & Wildfunk radio edit) Little Mix 06 05 TIME HAS COME Hannis 03 06 TELL IT TO MY HEART Jason Walker featuring Bimbo Jones 08 07 BOOM CLAP Charli XCX 16 08 I BELIEVE Bright Light Bright Light 13 09 KNEW YOU BETTER Adam Tyler 14 10 WHEN YOU LEFT ME Sam Dickinson 07 11 GOOD NEWS (FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS) Zorro Blakk featuring Deniz Olivieri 12 12 MIRACLE E-Mute 20 13 TEN FEET TALL Afrojack featuring Wrabel 21 14 NO FUN The Presets 18 15 BIG CITY GIRLS (DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH SMALL TOWN BOYS) Zorro Blakk 17 16 YOUR LOVE FADES AWAY Simone Denny 19 17 TRUST IT Nick Hagelin 22 18 STRANGER Chris Malinchak featuring Mikky Ekko 23 19 MUSIC GODS Davis Redfield featuring Carl Man 25 20 LOVE IN THE 21ST CENTURY Neon Trees 09 21 HEY I DON’T KNOW Kongos New 22 I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE Sam Smith 10 23 STAY WITH ME Sam Smith 11 24 THE DAY YOU LEFT Convulsic New 25 GET TO KNOW YOU Corey Niles featuring Ish New 26 THANKS FOR NOTHING Brandyn Burnett New 27 ZEPPELIN Eli Lieb New 28 JUST SAY HELLO Lyonn New 29 AMNESIA 5 Seconds Of Summer 24 30 BACK HOME Andy Grammer
Listen for My New Music Pick Of The Week onD-Moos.com!
As many of you are already aware, after many years away from the microphone, I am now pleased to be back as a voice onD-Moos.com Canada’s National Internet Radio Station, which mainly plays a selection of oldies, mostly from the 50’s to the 90’s, with soon to be more intrusions from the 2000’s and other new music.
Do listen in for my New Music Pick of the Week feature onD-Moos.com8 times per day starting at 2:05 AM EST on Mondays, and while the station is only live in the evenings from 9:00 pm to midnight (with my long-time musical partner in crime “The Musicman” James Rogers), you can hear my voice at other odd times, particularly if you’re an oldies loving night owl on the weekend overnights 🙂
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