Tag Archives: disco

#BILLCSTop30 #465 – September 7, 2015

A lot of the songs on the chart two weeks ago were stuck on hold… not a bad thing at all and shows staying power!  But the new chart is shaken ‘n stirred but good, with only two debuts, but several favourites finish up their chart run at the lower end of the chart.  

The Top 10

  • It appears that nothing is about to dislodge Years & Years and Brandyn Burnette from the top spots.  “Shine” continues at #1, while former #1 “I Wanna Be (Free)” (which will soon have a hip hop flavoured remix) stays at #2.  The songs in the rest of the year to come are going to need to be pretty special to beat out these two at year end.  Oh, and next week I get to see Years & Years in concert in Toronto.  Just cannot wait to hear the gorgeous songs on Communion in live performance!

https://soundcloud.com/penguin-prison/show-me-the-way

  • Both Nathan Sykes’ “Kiss Me Quick” and “Show Me The Way” by Penguin Prison advance a notch to #3 and #4 respectively, but are the #1 and #2 songs going to keep them from moving up further?  You’ll find out in two weeks!  Again, both are very strong songs in 2015 against fierce competition.

  • Formidable NYC producer/DJ’s The Chainsmokers are touring (they play in Toronto on November 7) with a fun cast of performers depending on what city you’re in.  The guys’ collab with Great Good Fine OK in a rollicking Tiesto remix on “Let You Go” climbs 9 to 6.  Oh, and it’s a free download 🙂

  • Yeah it is all about that sample from the 60’s TV show The Munsters, but “Uma Thurman” by Fall Out Boy also has a wicked, fun vocal by Patrick Stump to carry it home.  The song rises 11 to 8.

  • I have my fingers crossed that Island Records will recognize the emotional power of the fastest riser on the chart this week and release it to radio and as a single.  The gorgeous heartbreak of “Pain Told Love” by Tribe Society (formerly Gentlemen Hall) featuring a stunning turn by Kiesza burns up the chart, soaring 25-9.

Movin’ On Up

  • It’s still a mystery to me why “The Other Boys” by NERVO featuring Kylie Minogue, Jake Shears, and Nile Rodgers isn’t all over the dance clubs.  It’s a smash waiting to happen no matter how long it takes!  It climbs 20-11!

  • Eric Saade’s “Girl From Sweden” and Janet Jackson’s “No Sleeep” have been unlikely bookend for the past few weeks, and it continues as they both rise to #12 and #13 respectively.  Janet plays in Toronto on September 15 and I look forward to hearing more from her upcoming Unbreakable album!

  • With The Weeknd’s superlative Beauty Behind The Madness set to debut at #1 this week, it’s fitting that “Can’t Feel My Face” climbs 22-14, even though it’s been #1 everywhere.  Abel (who is from my part of Toronto) is unstoppable right now!

  • “Natural Disaster” by Molly Moore is one true grower, many folks that I’ve played it for have enjoyed it or asked about it, in its original form or delightful Win & Woo remix.  The song moves up 19-15.

  • It’s taking its time to breakout, but I feel that about to happen… the title song from Robin Schulz’s album Sugar, featuring my talented fellow Canuck Francesco Yates, advances 23-16 (Francesco’s own “Better To Be Loved” peaked out at #6 two weeks ago).

  • Nerds, ravers, and dance music lovers unite and support this quirky and fun song!  Quebec producer/DJ’s J-Mi and Midi-D move up 21-17 with their Avril Lavigne-meets-Vengaboys single “So Much For That”.

  • And speaking once again about NYC R&B/pop/dance act Great Good Fine OK, they play in my city at The Drake Hotel once again on September 10, and undoubtedly will perform “Something To Believe In”, their recorded duet with fellow dance act St. Lucia.  From the EP 2M2H, the song climbs 26-19.

Premiering

  • It’s his best single yet, and is culled from his freshly released debut album Yesterday.  British Columbian Tyler Shaw has a real winner with the zippy “Dizzy”, which arrives at #21.  Not to be underestimated, this one!  Tyler’s album release party takes place in Toronto on September 10 at the Virgin Mobile Mod Club.

  • Matthew Koma has blended the best of both of his worlds – EDM and pop with a punk attitude – on his humorous latest solo single “So F**kin’ Romantic”, which bows at #24.  Matthew is a most welcome veteran on my chart – “Romantic” is his 4th solo entry (including two #1’s “Parachute” and “1998”) and he also is featured on 4 others (including #1’s “Spectrum” with Zedd and “Cannonball Earthquake” with Showtek & Justin Prime).  Now he needs to play his own gig in Toronto – soon! 😀

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. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

You can hear me online on http://www.planetradio.ca every Monday at 10:00 pm EST counting down a Toronto Top 10 chart from yesteryear!

@Jessica6 and @NomiRuiz are back with steamy “Down Low”

JESSICA 6, “Down Low”

Once of 2011’s greatest dance music surprises for me was the album See The Light by Jessica 6, the showcase for trans singer Nomi Ruiz (Jessica 6 being named after the Farrah Fawcett character in “Logan’s Run”).  That album is full of dark, sexy music which I thought would revive a NYC nu.disco movement, particularly with the stunning single featuring Antony Hegarty, “Prisoner Of Love”.  Last I heard from Nomi was on Eli Escobar’s sensational rework of Mark Ronson & Boy George’s “Somebody To Love Me” in 2013.  Little did I realize what had gone on behind-the-scenes – basically the ‘band’ part of Jessica 6 departed not long after the release of See The Light, thus abruptly becoming pretty much an all-Nomi project, that found even more favour in eastern European countries.  So now we have “Down Low” from her new album The Capricorn.  Again, another steamy and seductive late night house-inspired song to dazzle us, with a memorable video too.  I hear a melody that reminds me somewhat of “Grenade” by Bruno Mars as well.  Club DJ’s will want to spin “Down Low” when the dance floor is sparse, to lure club goers into the flashing disco lights again.  I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of The Capricorn, which you can pick up on iTunes.  “Down Low” is also available in a percolating DONKEY remix for free at the Soundcloud link below.

#BILLCSTop30 #462 – July 27, 2015

There’s lots of movement within the Top 10, and four new entries, three by chart newcomers!

The Top 10

  • Brandyn Burnette once again reigns at #1 with the joyous and heartfelt “I Wanna Be (Free)”.  It’s my go-to song on my iPod right now!  Good news for Brandyn fans – the powerful “Stand Down (2150 AD)” will be his follow up single, due for release on August 4, from the upcoming EP Made Of Dreams.

https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/stand-down-ft-laraisha

  • If not for “I Wanna Be (Free)”, “Shine” by Years & Years would be at #1, but must settle for #2, perhaps only for now, we’ll see.  The trio’s entire Communion album is fantastic, also watch “Foundation” below.

  • Antonio Giacca’s unusually addictive “Sensation” is one dance song you shouldn’t miss.  It climbs up 5-3.

  • Like with Years & Years, Adam Lambert’s The Original High is one of my favourite albums of 2015.  I have many choices as to what will follow “Ghost Town” on to the chart in the coming weeks, but for now the song moves up 6-4.  Who wants a solo tour from Adam?? 🙂

  • Another song on a high is Dan Talevski’s “Guilty As Sin”, which soars 8-5.  The Toronto singer recorded the video for his next single “My Religion” in Spain these past few weeks.  Can’t wait to see what’s in store for us.  “My Religion” arrives July 31.

  • “Beauty Never Lies” continues to make its presence known on my chart!  As sung by Serbia’s Bojana Stamenov, the song advances 10-7.

  • UK quartet Lawson obtains yet another Top 10 entry with their latest single “Roads” at #10.  The band has just begun its U.S. tour opening for Australia’s Sheppard.

Movin’ On Up

  • Nathan Sykes managed to take over Times Square in New York City this week for a video shoot.  I’m glad to see his spry song “Kiss Me Quick” is getting so much attention.  It’s the fastest riser on my chart this week, vaulting 20-12!!

  • In case you missed it, Canadian singer Francesco Yates is the featured vocalist on Robin Schulz’s excellent new single “Sugar” (below).  In the meantime, Francesco’s “Better To Be Loved” (above) climbs 16-13.  Yesterday in concert in Toronto, he dropped some songs (including a few written with Pharrell) that are going to pop big time!

  • “Walking Through The Fire” by Cobi Mike rises 17-14.  It’s accompanied by a compelling and thought-provoking video too.

  • L.A. based producer Mi Disguise is recording more music for his album which will be on its way this Fall.  Do check out his unique EDM single “East Side Bay” which climbs 19-15.

  • You want to dance like “Uma Thurman” too, don’t you? 😛  The fun single by Fall Out Boy continues to advance, with that surfin’ groove from the 60’s TV show “The Munsters” used to great effect.  It moves up 21-16.

  • Janet Jackson fans are soaking in her first single in 7 years in advance of her tour and the Unbreakable album.  The sexy quiet storm ballad “No Sleeep” rises 25-20.

  • The good-natured and energetic “Summertime” by Vancouver’s Trevor Guthrie is well on its way, climbing 27-21.

The New Stuff

  • It was released last March but one of the reasons my chart is here is to bring you new found talent that I enjoy.  And such is “Take Out Of Me” by UK singer Martin Luke Brown, which is certain to grab your ears from above just like it did me.  It bows on the chart at an impressive #19.  Also take a look at the video below for the emotional follow-up single “Scars On Scars”.  Think Mikky Ekko meets Sam Smith!

https://soundcloud.com/penguin-prison/show-me-the-way

  • Penguin Prison’s concert in Toronto a few weeks back reinforced that “Show Me The Way” is my favourite new song from his new album Lost in New York, bowing at #22 on my chart.  The crowd reacted to it most favourably on the dance floor – as much as Penguin’s encore cover of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long”.  It’s Penguin Prison’s 10th chart entry summarized as follows: 🙂
    • Something I’m Not, #2, 2010
    • The Worse It Gets, #1, 2010
    • Golden Train, #1, 2010
    • Multi-Millionaire, #7, 2011
    • Fair Warning, #6, 2011
    • Don’t Fuck With My Money, #3, 2011
    • Hollywood (with RAC), #5, 2012
    • Hang On To Your Love, #19, 2014
    • Calling Out, #13, 2015

  • I’ve already written about L.A.-based singer Molly Moore a number of times this year.  But I’m pleased to say that her song that I wrote about back at the top of 2015 has now received official release.  “Natural Disaster” (co-written with her guy, Brandyn Burnette) is a winner both in its original and laid back, tropical Win & Woo remix, and arrives on the chart at #25!

  • Canadian producers/remixers (as well as ravers and gamers) J-Mi and Midi-D debut at #26 with their move-on-let’s-party anthem “So Much For That”, which I wrote about on its day of release last week.  Check it out for a lot of 90’s Swedish dance-pop inspiration!

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. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

#BILLCSTop30 #460 – June 29, 2015

It’s been a busy few weeks in my household both at work and at home, so now it’s time to get caught up with new music on edition 460 of my personal chart 🙂

Listen to the entire chart on Spotify!!

https://soundcloud.com/brandynburnette/i-wanna-be-free

The New #1

  • I’m a few days early in advance of the official video, but Brandyn Burnette garners his second #1 of 2015, moving from 6-1, with the thought-provoking, dreamy, and laid back “I Wanna Be (Free)”.  It is definitely one of my key songs for the Summer of ’15, and I hope it might turn into one of yours (listen up top).  It’s from Brandyn’s much-awaited forthcoming EP  Made Of Dreams.  Show your support and pick up this one on iTunes!  One of my favourite parts of the song is the piano especially during the first minute 🙂

The Top 10

  • With “I Wanna Be (Free)” taking over at #1 so quickly, that left “No Words” by Erik Hassle nowhere else to go but to #2.  I’m still hoping this song will catch on at radio for the summer months.

  • It’s taken longer than usual for a Brandon Flowers song to make its presence known on my chart but “Can’t Deny My Love” is on its way to the Top 5 following a pair in 2010 – #1 “Crossfire”and #3 “Jacksonville”.

  • Producer/DJ Antonio Giacca’s riveting and funky instrumental “Sensation” bounds into the Top 10 at #8.  Do check out the head-scratcher of a video which totally suits the song 🙂

  • It’s kind of no surprise but “Shine” by Years & Years is indeed the fastest riser on this chart, vaulting 19-9 to become the trio’s third Top Tenner.  And I’m so glad I’ve got a ticket to their September 14 show here in Toronto 🙂 I’m not so sure why North American audiences aren’t warming up to Years & Years as the rest of the world.  Olly Alexander’s vocal on “Shine” is one of the best of the year, and the video keeps you glued as to what’s happening next!

  • Rounding out the new entries to the Top 10 is Adam Lambert’s “Ghost Town” at #10.  Not all of the songs on his album The Original High are successful, but man, what a production, which zeroes in on making Adam’s voice more versatile than ever.  Gone are the days of the limiting “American Idol” image.  Watch the “Ghost Town” video below but also check out my other current favourite which is the bass-laden “The Light”.

Movin’ On Up

  • Another album I’m enjoying is Giorgio Moroder’s first album in 30 years, Déjà Vu.  The title song featuring an alternately wistful and powerful vocal by Sia rises to #12.  The album succeeds in some places that I didn’t expect – the songs featuring Kelis and Marlene, as well as his update of “Tom’s Diner” with Britney Spears – whereas the songs featuring faves-of-mine Mikky Ekko and Matthew Koma are either dull or maybe just need a few more plays.  Plus there are Giorgio’s instrumentals “74 Is The New 24” and “La Disco” which showcase his definitive sound.  But my next favourite after “Déjà Vu” and “Right Here, Right Now” (his previous #4 hit with Kylie Minogue) is “Wildstar” featuring none other than Foxes!  Listen below.

  • The chart would be many plays less fun if it wasn’t for Matt & Kim’s “Hey Now”.  The song has taken its time but moves up to #13.

  • Just as bold as her vocal, Bojana Stamenov’s Eurovision entry for Serbia, “Beauty Never Lies”, advances a whopping 20-14, with eyes firmly on the Top 10!

  • Another song not moving up as fast as it could due to competition is Lawson’s “Roads” at #15.  It recently became the band’s latest Top 15 hit in the UK, peaking at #11.

  • The triple-threat of some guys with great voices who debuted two weeks ago makes its impact as all songs advance into the Top 20.  Torontonians Dan Talevski and Francesco Yates are back to back again at #18 and #19 with “Guilty As Sin” (with its spicy video!) and “Better To Be Loved” respectively, while ex-Gentlemen Hall singer Cobi Mike climbs 26-20 with his indie release “Walking Through The Fire”.

Premieres

  • It’s taken a little while to arrive on the chart after I wrote about it in the Spring, but L.A.-based producer/DJ -and in “East Side Bay”, vocalist! – Mi Disguise gets his second chart entry at #24.  It follows his #15 collaboration with Adam Tyler from earlier in the year, “Alive”.  “East Side Bay” really gets going after a minute.  Still with it as Mi Disguise’s vocal has a unique charm about it that totally suits the song.  I’d love to see club DJ’s get behind this one like they did ZHU’s “Faded” (though that got major label support too) 🙂

  • Making their first appearance on my chart is Fall Out Boy!  The quartet borrows the surfer-guitar riff from the theme from the 60’s show “The Munsters” for “Uma Thurman”, and between the lyrics and musical antics, the fun just doesn’t stop while the song’s playing.  It’s a great summer tune, from the quartet’s latest album American Beauty/American Psycho, and arrives at #26.

  • As Eric Saade’s punchy “Sting” sails off the chart after peaking at #4, the Maroon 5-ish “Girl From Sweden” makes its debut at #29.  So now all you folks can go off to the Swedish countryside in search of Eric dancing with pretty girls in the fields…

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. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

BILLCS Top 30 #458 – June 1, 2015

The slow rise of some songs and sharp drops of others continue thanks to the bevy of great music out there!  But other songs make great gains as they become some of my favourites this year.

The Top 10

  • “Chasing Stars” by Corey Niles & Alex Lacasse has a solid grip on #1 for a second appearance at the top, but with River Tiber’s “No Talk” advancing 3-2 and “No Words” by Erik Hassle rising 6-3 – it’s getting pretty hot up top!

  • As his new single “Girl From Sweden” is released, Eric Saade’s “Sting” continues to climb my chart, rising 5-4.

  • Australia’s Parralox has its second Top 5 placing on my chart with the 80’s fan fest “Aeronaut”, moving up 9-5.  Dig all of that Paris scenery in the video too!

  • There’s no stopping CHIC reviving its classic feel-good 70’s disco sound on “I’ll Be There”, which is also now a Top 5 Billboard Dance Club hit.  It rises 12-6.

  • Years & Years is making some of 2015’s most recognizable music.  As former #1 “King” is about to leave the chart in its 10th appearance, now at #10, previous single “Desire” climbs 10-7.  And there’s more Years & Years to come…

  • With Jully Black just about appearing everywhere in Canada as fierce and proud as ever in 2015, plus being a Pan-Am Games ambassador in Toronto, it’s no wonder that she has her first Top Tenner on my chart since “Seven Day Fool” in 2007.  That’s “Fever”, from her upcoming album, climbing 11-8.

  • New Jersey’s Charlie Puth is better known as the vocalist on “See You Again” (at #16), but he and Meghan Trainor have concocted a delightful bit of R&B-oriented sock hop pop with “Marvin Gaye” leaping into the Top 10 17-9.

Movin’ On Up

  •  Five years after his debut solo album, Brandon Flowers has done it again with the first single from The Desired Effect called “Can’t Deny My Love”.  It’s the fastest riser on the chart, vaulting 20-11, and about to join the three songs that made the Top 10 from Flamingo, including #1 “Crossfire”.

  • After their rollicking and extremely fun concert almost two weeks ago, Matt & Kim’s “Hey Now” from their latest album New Glow jumps 22-17.

  • Their latest EP Roads has been released in the UK, but here in North America we have a single for UK quartet Lawson’s title song.  “Roads” moves up 21-18.

  • All three of the last chart’s debuts make short work of the chart and follow each other in succession.  So we have “Ghost Town” by Adam Lambert (26-19), “Déjà Vu” by Giorgio Moroder featuring Sia (27-20), and “What It’s All About” by Smashing Satellites (28-21, below) all about to take off.

Debuting

  • More Years & Years??  Yes, please!!  And it’s kind of an unintended companion song to Erik Hassle’s “No Words” above, they have a very similar song structure and melody at times (play them one after another!).  “Shine” (at the top) appears on the trio’s upcoming Communion album and bows at #25.
  • I was really rooting for the incredible vocal performance by Bojana Stamenov to make her country Serbia’s entry to Eurovision 2015, “Beauty Never Lies”, the winner.  Alas the winner ended up being the also worthy “Heroes” by Måns Zelmerlöw, but nonetheless the song has opened the doors worldwide for the talented Bojana.  “Beauty Never Lies” arrives at #27.

  • It’s hard to believe that Maroon 5 has not appeared on my chart since 2011’s “Moves Like Jagger” but their latest single “This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like A Motherfucker” is so irresistible in so many ways… and as atypical a song for the band as were some of those within their debut Songs About Jane 12 years ago!  “This Summer’s Gonna Hurt” is their 11th chart appearance and premieres at #30.

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. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

 

 

The funky side of @SmashSatellites arrives with “Us”

SMASHING SATELLITES, “Us”

While I’m still digging the anthemic, feel good “What It’s All About”, Canadian rock band Smashing Satellites have given us another taste of what’s to come in their full album Sonic Aluzion with “Us”.  And unless you happened to see them perform it in concert like I did, “Us” is going to come as a surprise after the intensely emotional “Waterfall” and alt.rock of “Hounds”.  “Us” is pretty much  a crunchy and funky pop/disco whirlwind – and who should know better than someone like me who lived through the era 😛 – which shows a band whose stylistic borders are not at all limited.  Sneer if you will, but memorable songs like “Us” grab audiences and make them react.  And lead singer Salvatore Costa’s vocal gets not only the groove on but rocks out at the same time.  You can pick up “Us” in advance of Sonic Aluzion’s release right now on iTunes.

BILLCS Top 30 #457 – May 18, 2015

The songs of Spring are so strong that on my chart there seems to be a never-ending queue of new songs that keep climbing and climbing – and then one week they crash to make room at the top.  We’ll see if this trend continues in the coming weeks!  But for now, on to the new chart:

The Top 10

  • Canadians Corey Niles and Alex Lacasse replace Years & Years’ “King” up top with their anthem “Chasing Stars”.  If this song were on a major label, you’d hear it everywhere.  So it’s important that if you like it that you pick it up on iTunes.  One of my favourite songs of 2015 thus far, the melody, vocal arrangement, and lyrics are all on point!!

  • More contemporary Canadiana is on the rise with River Tiber back in the Top 3 for the first time in two years with “No Talk”, which as you recall was sampled in Drake’s “No Tellin'” from his latest album.  I’m hoping Tommy Paxton-Beesley and his team will keep up the momentum with more new music to come this summer.

  • It’s been a hot while since Sweden’s Eric Saade was in the Top 5 on my chart (in fact it was in early 2012 with “Fingerprints”), so it’s pleasing to see the very different and brusque “Sting” advance to #5.  It’s only the start of more adventure for the talented Eric!

  • It’s two charts in a row that “No Words” – by another Swedish Erik, this time Hassle – is the fastest riser on the chart!  That bodes well for the coming weeks where there’s nothing truly obvious to succeed “Chasing Stars” at the top, so we’ll wait and see.  The jaunty but sad “No Words” climbs 17-6 – and don’t forget to check out an unintended companion-piece in Years & Years’ “Shine” – they make a great mashup!

https://soundcloud.com/databoy/when-it-rains-it-pours

  • Austin duo DATABOY’s collaboration with producer Niko The Kid has waited patiently but breaks loose and climbs to #7 with “When It Rains, It Pours”.  All of DATABOY’s entries on my chart – 10 of them since 2011 – have reached the Top 10 🙂

  • Australia’s Parralox is also 3 for 3 for Top 10 entries with the sublimely 80’s “Aeronaut” from the album of the same name, moving 13-9.

  • Not surprisingly, Years & Years rounds out the Top 10 with “Desire”.  It’s hard not to sit still when this one’s playing.

Movin’ On Up

  • Just outside of the Top 10, after a triumphant Canadian Music Week performance, is Canadian R&B queen Jully Black with her single “Fever” at #11.  I received a concert-only copy of “The LP”, which contains most of the songs she sang that night.  And it’s a gem, so I hope most of the songs like “Here 2 Love U”, “Fool For You”, “On Your Side”, and especially “Don’t Keep Me Guessing” appear on her commercially-released album when it’s released this summer.

  • I wish pop radio would loosen the hell up and play CHIC’s “I’ll Be There”, but I guess Top 40 has no room for disco throwbacks.  Nevertheless dance clubs have embraced it fully as has the alternative pop/dance crowd.  Such a fun song, it climbs to #12.

  • Do yourself a favour and pick up one of the most enthusiastic album releases of the year on iTunes in Steve Grand’s All-American Boy.  “We Are The Night” is one of the best songs, a rollicking rock anthem, and climbs to #15.  This album clearly shows why Steve Grand is a pop artist at heart, whose style crosses over to both rock and country.  It’s very 80’s in a lot of ways – and that of course was before Steve was born (1990)!

  • More attention also needs to be given to “Cosmonaut” by Wrathschild, aka Simon Curtis and Bad W0lfy.  It’s a glorious, dreamy, slow nighttime EDM song that will stick in your head.  It moves up to #16.

  • Charlie Puth continues back-to-back status from two weeks ago with his duet with Meghan Trainor, “Marvin Gaye”, advancing to #17, while his #1 duet with Wiz Khalifa, “See You Again”, climbs to #18.  It will be interesting to see what dethrones “See You Again” at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • I’m probably gonna listen to Brandon Flowers’ new album The Desired Effect this week, particularly after all of the glowing comments I’ve read.  The stunning lead off single “Can’t Deny My Love” rises to #20.

  • Lawson once again are touring the hell out of their home country, England, in advance of the release of their EP Roads.  The title song, available in Canada as a single on iTunes, moves up to #21.

  • The middle of Spring here in Toronto needs a good shot of a Matt and Kim performance, which I will check out tomorrow (May 18) at the Danforth Music Hall.  Their infectious and good-natured song “Hey Now” climbs to #22.

Debuts

  •  Adam Lambert’s “Ghost Town” is one of the most unique songs out there right now, combining Adam’s vocal power with a heavily early-90’s influenced house rhythm that listeners say reminds them of Madonna’s “Vogue” – but check out Malcolm McLaren’s earlier “Deep In Vogue” too!  It’s a great lead-in to the June release of his third album The Original High.  It’s only Adam’s third appearance on my chart, but both “Better Than I Know Myself” and his “Glee” cover of Lady Gaga’s “Marry The Night” both got into the Top 10.

  • Giorgio Moroder is back with his album Deja Vu on deck in June, and the title song featuring vocalist Sia (her first appearance on this chart) lands on my chart at #27.  It follows the first success from the album, his partnership with Kylie Minogue on “Right Here, Right Now”, which recently reached #4.  Every time I hear “Deja Vu”, I hear Donna Summer’s “Dim All The Lights” poignantly ringing in Sia’s vocal midway – anyone else?

  • Their song “Waterfall” just peaked at #3, so Canadian quartet Smashing Satellites, led by the incomparable Salvatore Costa, wastes no time by debuting with “What It’s All About”.  I’ve been saying since I wrote about it a while back – it’s the first graduation anthem of 2015.  Listen to the moving lyrics and let the song inspire you!  It’s a departure from “Waterfall” and other songs on the upcoming Sonic Aluzion album – but wait till you hear the jam “Us” (which I heard at one of their Canadian Music Week gigs)!!

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. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂

Dance To Diss: @BrightLightx2 & @MsAnaMatronic with “Good Luck” (remix)

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT & ANA MATRONIC, “Good Luck” (remix)

The music of Bright Light Bright Light is never too far away from a blog post, and I’m happy to hear that a remix album Life Is Hard is coming in June.  To kick it off is “Good Luck”, a song from BLx2’s album Life Is Easy, which grew on me months after the album was released.  It’s a pretty potent diss of a song that goes perfectly with the early 90’s house rhythm, and is dead on similar in theme to Basement Jaxx’s 2004 hit also called “Good Luck” (mashup, please?).  For the remix album and the above new video – and who’d have thought of Rod Thomas as a boxer – well, perhaps metaphorically 😛 – Scissor Sisters’ Ana Matronic joins to inject an entertaining, welcome campy side to the song.  Good on Rod and his team for giving “Good Luck” its own due showcase.

Summer Dance Floor Vibes with @iamMiDisguise with “East Side Bay”

midisguise

MI DISGUISE, “East Side Bay”

“East Side Bay” is one of the most unique songs for the first half of 2015 courtesy of new producer/remixer – and singer! – Mi Disguise, who readers of this blog first got to know with his release “Alive”, featuring fellow EQMusic singerAdam Tyler (which peaked at #15 on my chart recently).  The first few times I heard it, the beginning of the song was a hard sell, but after the first minute when the intricate instrumental break kicks in, the song becomes a dance floor champion.  It’s very idiosyncratic for dance music in the same way as last year’s surprise Grammy nominee, “Faded” by ZHU.  So by the time the vocal returns, you’ve got the melody (somewhat reminiscent of The Weeknd’s style) and the rest of the song flows in the way that the best dance songs should.  So let down your guard and allow the sneak attack of “East Side Bay” to find its way down to your disco feet! 🙂  Get it on iTunes and watch the lyric video below.

BILLCS Top 30 #456 – May 4/15

It’s testament to the volume of excellent new music out there that most songs have to settle for creeping up only a notch or two on my new chart.  All songs on the chart between 1 and 20 either hold or move up!!  Now that usually means that the chart will shake looser in two weeks, but I expect some songs will have a slow rise to their eventual peaks.

In the meantime, on to the new chart!

The Top 10

  • Not surprisingly, Years & Years are bouncing from country to country, who are all falling in love with the trio’s unique blend of pop and EDM.  “King” gets a third appearance (6 weeks) at #1.

  • Holding very strong at #2 is “Chasing Stars” by Corey Niles featuring Alex Lacasse.  I’m surprised that Canadian radio hasn’t fallen over backwards over this song – released a few months ago, it follows a song structure similar to the current worldwide #1, which debuts further down, and the two songs make great music bookends 🙂

  • “Waterfall” by Smashing Satellites hangs tight at #3 as the band’s latest single “What’s It All About” is about to take off.  Smashing Satellites play two gigs during Canadian Music Week in Toronto – May 6 at the Hideout, and May 8 at The Phoenix – and I expect to be at one of them!

  • That fantastic veteran dance duo Erasure have yet another Billboard Top 10 Dance Club Play hit with “Sacred”, and the song holds at #5 on my chart.

  • If my Top 5 wasn’t so damn strong, River Tiber’s funky alternative rock “No Talk” would rank higher, but for now it climbs 8 to 6… for now.

  • The only newcomer to the Top 10 is one Sam Smith with that universal pop smash “Lay Me Down” at #10.

Movin’ On Up

https://soundcloud.com/databoy/when-it-rains-it-pours

  • DATABOY’s latest “When It Rains, It Pours” is victim to a slower rise than usual for the dynamic duo, but fear not it settles outside of the Top 10 at #11.

  • “Aeronaut” by Parralox makes an impressive 20-13 jump given the rest of the chart, which bodes well for the coming weeks for John von Ahlen and company 🙂

  • Canada’s R&B queen Jully Black is back and stronger than ever with her latest single, the sultry and steamy “Fever”, which climbs 19-14.  I’ll be checking out Jully’s show May 5 at The Phoenix in Toronto.

  • The fastest riser on the chart has turned out to be one incredibly contagious tune, and that is “No Words” by Erik Hassle, which leaps 26-17.  The talented Swedish singer’s pop career needed this song… and I hope it happens for him internationally 🙂

  • Classy disco music never goes out of vogue and thus Nile Rodgers and Chic have a bonafide club hit once again with “I’ll Be There”, which moves up 25-18.

  • And never underestimate the power of Brooklyn duo Matt & Kim on my chart, ever!  “Hey Now”, from the fun New Glow album, which features some notable EDM inspiration, rises 30-26.

Debuts

  •  The first two debuts are all about that new shining star from New Jersey named Charlie Puth.  He’s also a songwriter and producer (Trey Songz’ “Slow Motion” comes to mind!), and his new EP is called Some Type Of Love.  “Marvin Gaye”, his sock hop throwback duet with Meghan Trainor, bows at #23, and right behind of course at #24 is that massive Wiz Khalifa smash “See You Again” in which he is the featured vocalist.

  • At #27 is the 80’s retro-tinged “Can’t Deny My Love” featuring a powerful vocal by Killers’ Brandon Flowers.  Can’t wait to hear the rest of his second solo album The Desired Effect.

  • And I definitely want to hear more from UK quartet Lawson, who I’ve seen in concert twice and enjoyed every minute of their sets!  Their new single, finally released in North America, is “Roads”, which bows at #28.

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. Go on, have a look and listen/watch 🙂