disco – Page 15 – BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

BILLCS Top 30 #441 – October 6, 2014

The top three songs have an incredible lock on the chart right now, and there are five debuts, so without further adieu:

ONE!!!

Sam Smith “I’m Not The Only One”

TWO!!

Mikky Ekko “Smile”

THREE!

https://soundcloud.com/harrietsmusic/afterglow

Harriet “Afterglow”

THE REST OF THE CHART

So the next question is: Can Brandyn Burnette’s “Thanks For Nothing” crack the Top 3, as it rises significantly, up 10-4? The singer constantly reminds us on Twitter that the song may be a straight middle finger to a past relationship, but that it has an optimistic side to it about moving forward. Gotta listen to Brandyn!! There’s an ages old soul in that young body, methinks!

Those “Music Gods” keep forging ahead on this chart! Davis Redfield and vocalist Carl Man climb 7-6 in this edition.

Get to know Canadian R&B/hip hop singer Corey Niles as his latest song “Get To Know You” spreads across Canada, with the help of rapper Ish! It rises 9-7 🙂

Second time’s a charm, especially when it’s in a gorgeous, romantic, midtempo house remix! “I Won’t Let You Go” by Adam Tyler in an Aron Friedman remix gets to the Top 10 for the second time, and that’s only happened once before, with Nelson Clemente’s “You Want Me Don’t You” in 2008/09, which peaked at #3 both times. “I Won’t Let You Go” is at #8, three places short of its original #5 peak in 2011.

The fastest riser on the chart is “Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware, moving 20-9, and arriving in the Top 25 on the UK Singles Chart this week. Simply cannot wait to hear it in concert later in the month. Looking at the Top 3, I have to wonder when “Say You Love Me” will be able to crack the mold, but we’ll see!

Jamie Scott’s “Unbreakable” may be unstoppable at this point – it moves up 16-11 this week and will almost certainly grab a Top 10 berth in two weeks!

Aussie faves 5 Seconds Of Summer seem to be making more waves at radio now as the Fall sets in with “Amnesia” rising up 17-14 🙂

Chromatone has such a good groove going on in “Play For Me” that you must check out the fantastic dance moves in its well-shot video. It climbs 21-17.

ABOUT THOSE FIVE DEBUTS…

It’s an overdue debut, but always better late than never. While his team has been promoting “Oh So Simple” and “Scared” from his fine EP Stage Fright, the romantic inside me has long been with The Voice contestant blue-eyed soul singer Jake Barker’s title song, which bows at #23. You can only hear a preview on iTunes but it’s worth purchasing the EP for its entire four song selection. The following lyrics alone just send me at each listen just after the minute mark: “10,000 people looking down on me / All eyes on me / Could I picture my life / All I see is you”. Jake Barker has an immense future ahead – and he didn’t even finish in the Top 10 on The Voice!
A love song of a very different kind is “Brando” by Semi-Precious Weapons, which arrives at #24 in advance of their second 2014, following Spring’s Aviation release. “Brando” gets away from the anthemic sounds on Aviation in favour of a song that sings about when you are faced with the fact that you are impossibly in love. Justin Tranter’s vocal is on its best game here, and I’m really looking forward to more from SPW before the end of the year! Now if we can only get them up to Canada to tour…

I wrote about Jane Badler’s “Losing You” a while back, but the song gets under your skin quickly, so it arrives on the chart at #26. Actress/singer Jane previously reached #8 with “Yesterday’s Tomorrows”, so her alt.pop stylings are no stranger to this chart! Be sure to check out the impressive video trek through personal hell below.

Those Janoskians fans have eaten up my Twitter timeline today as the boys play a show at the Danforth Music Hall. I like these guys for the fact that they are bold enough to take risks to break out of the boy band mold, even though they will attract some similar fans as One Direction, 5 Seconds Of Summer, and even Justin Bieber. The Janoskians shake things up with their innuendo with “That’s What She Said” at #27. North American radio isn’t playing, but then again that’s no surprise. The huge fan base says ALL!!

It seems like there’s always room on my chart this year for another Sam Smith song. The 80’s flavoured “Restart” (particularly reminscent of Daryl Hall & John Oates or The Doobie Brothers brand of white soul) premieres at #28 along with a new video below.

Extra! Extra!

The duo Erasure (being singer Andy Bell and keyboardist Vince Clarke) has long endured because they know how to deliver exactly what their audience wants, and continue to create new songs for their huge repertoire. Their music is hugely influential on today’s electronica performers, whether that’s obvious or not. Their latest album The Violet Flame is their best in many years, more than ever a throwback to their classic late 80’s/early 90’s period, which is where their set list focuses in concert. While “Elevation” rises on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart, the chart-bound zinger on the album belongs to “Sacred”. Listen below!!

https://soundcloud.com/erasureinfo/sacred

Lastly, Tristan Thompson’s “Mistaken” shall return to the chart! It’s been bumped to being the third single release from Here For You in favour of another song, which I shall be writing about very soon!

The Full Chart

01 01 I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE Sam Smith
02 02 SMILE Mikky Ekko
03 03 AFTERGLOW Harriet
10 04 THANKS FOR NOTHING Brandyn Burnette
05 05 NO FUN The Presets
07 06 MUSIC GODS Davis Redfield featuring Carl Man
09 07 GET TO KNOW YOU Corey Niles featuring Ish
13 08 I WON’T LET YOU GO (Aron Friedman remix) Adam Tyler
20 09 SAY YOU LOVE ME Jessie Ware
04 10 THIS COULD BE SOMETHING Anton Ewald featuring Medina
16 11 UNBREAKABLE Jamie Scott
14 12 ZEPPELIN Eli Lieb
15 13 JUST SAY HELLO Lyonn
17 14 AMNESIA 5 Seconds Of Summer
18 15 CRIMINAL Adam Tyler
06 16 I BELIEVE Bright Light Bright Light
21 17 PLAY FOR ME Chromatone
08 18 STRANGER Chris Malinchak featuring Mikky Ekko
11 19 TIME HAS COME Hannis
12 20 TEN FEET TALL Afrojack featuring Wrabel
23 21 KILLER WHALES Smallpools
25 22 HANG ON TO YOUR LOVE Penguin Prison
New 23 STAGE FRIGHT Jake Barker
New 24 BRANDO Semi-Precious Weapons
19 25 WHEN YOU LEFT ME Sam Dickinson
New 26 LOSING YOU Jane Badler
New 27 THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID The Janoskians
New 28 RESTART Sam Smith
24 29 BIG CITY GIRLS (DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH SMALL TOWN BOYS) Zorro Blakk
29 30 KNEW YOU BETTER Adam Tyler

Listen for My New Music Pick Of The Week on D-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 on D-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 on D-Moos.com 8 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 🙂

BILLCS Top 30 – #440 – September 22, 2014

Suddenly we move into Fall, and the entire landscape at the top of my chart is changing. Not unexpectedly, the high energy dance experience that we enjoyed for most of the year is shifting to quieter music with top notch vocal power and three songs that will rule the top of my chart for the next while.

The Top 10

The hint from two weeks ago proved to be true. Sam Smith acquires his 4th number one song of the year on my personal chart with “I’m Not The Only One”, moving up 4-1. This is one song that’s grown immeasurably on me from In The Lonely Hour since it was first release. It’s in fine contention to be one of the top songs of 2014, along with “Stay With Me”, “Money On My Mind”, and “Latch”. The relentless worldwide touring must be taking its toll – Sam had to cancel his Toronto stop on his tour.

The fastest riser is right behind, and it’s “Smile” by Mikky Ekko, bounding 17-2, certain to be #1 whenever “I’m Not The Only One” concedes. The singer is touring with Alt-J, which is already seeing sold out shows across the country, including the Toronto stop on November 11.

https://soundcloud.com/harrietsmusic/afterglow

Harriet’s rich vocal tones send “Afterglow” from 6 to 3. It’s from her fine 3 song EP What’s Mine Is Yours, containing the solid pop song of the same name, plus a cover of Judie Tzuke’s “If (When You Go)”, and they’re all grandly produced by Steve Anderson.

“This Could Be Something” by Anton Ewald & Medina is proving to be enduring, slipping 2-4, just can’t get the ‘oooh oooh’s’ out of my head yet!
Davis Redfield & Carl Man’s “Music Gods” moves up 9-7, ever so eyeing the Top 50 in two weeks amid fierce competition.

It’s Mikky Ekko again at #8, this time as featured voice on Chris Malinchak’s funky club song “Stranger”, rising 11-8.

“Get To Know You” by Corey Niles & Ish is picking up in radio airplay across Canada! The infectious and tightly produced song climbs 12-9.

From the forthcoming album The Couch Surfing Chronicles, Brandyn Burnette’s “Thanks For Nothing” moves 15-10. Brandyn’s one well-grounded old soul kind of guy and his tweets are well worth your perusal! He plays in L.A on Monday September 22 at the Hotel Cafe. Take a look at his “Life’s A Beach” video below – it will make you smile!

On The Way Up

The remix of Adam Tyler’s 2011 single “I Won’t Let You Go” in an Aron Friedman remix is once again on its way to the Top 10, where it previously peaked at #5. Also climbing is the Paul Hetherington-produced “Criminal”, up 23-18. You can preview a new single featuring Adam further down below 🙂

The positive folk/pop of Knoxville, TN based singer Lyonn (aka Tyler Gelrud) continues to flourish as “Just Say Hello” climbs 20-15.

Soon to make an international breakthrough is Graffiti6 singer Jamie Scott with his latest single “Unbreakable”, from his upcoming album My Hurricane. The song jumps 24-16. Watch the new heart-stirring video above.

Slick R&B/pop from Chromatone, with a winning video full of great dancing and choreography, comes in the form of “Play For Me”, which rises 26-21.

Premiering

Like many others, I can’t wait till the release of Jessie Ware’s Tough Love album as well as the UK singer’s North American tour, which brings her to Toronto on October 26 (and I’m going YAY). In the meantime, “Say You Love Me” and its quiet power makes a splash on the chart at #20. Jessie’s only previous appearance on my chart was on a reissue of Miguel’s “Adorn”, which got to #1 last Fall. The Tough Love album also features a 70’s R&B flavoured Miguel composition “Kind Of…Sometimes…Maybe”, which you can hear below.

As his former #1 “Tidal Wave” is about to depart the chart after a maximum 10 appearances (20 weeks), the latest from 16 year old Tristan Thompson arrives on the chart at #22. Watch the video for “Mistaken” below.

Lastly, it’s a great reason to fall in love with a song you enjoyed the first time around. Penguin Prison has put a disco spin on his cover of Sade’s first single “Hang On To Your Love”. It’s available to you as a free download in anticipation of PP’s sophomore album, and bows on the chart at #25. PP has a great track record on my chart – “Hang On” is his 7th entry, plus he’s been featured on one other Top 5 song (RAC’s “Hollywood”) and remixed four songs (by Jamiroquai, The Temper Trap’s #1 “Resurrection”, Ghost Beach, and Lana Del Rey).

Extra! Extra!

Here’s what Adam Tyler’s up to in his spare time. His 19 year old producer friend Mi Disguise has featured him on the exuberant “Alive”, which has loads of dance club potential. You can preview this new song below. Enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/mi-disguise/alive-feat-adam-tyler

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.

04 01 I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE Sam Smith
17 02 SMILE Mikky Ekko
06 03 AFTERGLOW Harriet
02 04 THIS COULD BE SOMETHING Anton Ewald featuring Medina
05 05 NO FUN The Presets
01 06 I BELIEVE Bright Light Bright Light
09 07 MUSIC GODS Davis Redfield featuring Carl Man
11 08 STRANGER Chris Malinchak featuring Mikky Ekko
12 09 GET TO KNOW YOU Corey Niles featuring Ish
15 10 THANKS FOR NOTHING Brandyn Burnette
03 11 TIME HAS COME Hannis
08 12 TEN FEET TALL Afrojack featuring Wrabel
19 13 I WON’T LET YOU GO (Aron Friedman remix) Adam Tyler
16 14 ZEPPELIN Eli Lieb
20 15 JUST SAY HELLO Lyonn
24 16 UNBREAKABLE Jamie Scott
21 17 AMNESIA 5 Seconds Of Summer
23 18 CRIMINAL Adam Tyler
07 19 WHEN YOU LEFT ME Sam Dickinson
New 20 SAY YOU LOVE ME Jessie Ware
26 21 PLAY FOR ME Chromatone
New 22 MISTAKEN Tristan Thompson
28 23 KILLER WHALES Smallpools
10 24 BIG CITY GIRLS (DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH SMALL TOWN BOYS) Zorro Blakk
New 25 HANG ON TO YOUR LOVE Penguin Prison
13 26 ELECTRIFY THE NIGHT House Rockerz featuring Davis Redfield & Carl Man
14 27 TIDAL WAVE Tristan Thompson
18 28 BOOM CLAP Charli XCX
22 29 KNEW YOU BETTER Adam Tyler
25 30 LITTLE ME (Steve Smart & Wildfunk radio edit) Little Mix

Listen for My New Music Pick Of The Week on D-Moos.com!

So So So Discofied: @PenguinPrison covers @SadeOfficial’s “Hang On To Your Love”

PENGUIN PRISON, “Hang On To Your Love”

Penguin Prison (aka New Yorker Chris Glover) has impeccable taste, as his choice in covering Sade’s first single “Hang On To Your Love” so aptly proves. It’s been a while since we’ve had new Penguin music while Chris has been touring just about everywhere in the past three years, whether for a live performance or DJ set. But something’s brewing, much needed after his marvelous and diverse self-titled 2010 album, featuring decade classics like “The Worse It Gets”, “Golden Train”, and “Don’t Fuck With My Money”, which dominated my personal chart in 2011-12. When Sade arrived with this song (and I have the original 12″ vinyl (pic below), it sparked the trend of an “old club sound” in the mid-80’s, and I believe she and her Grammy-winning band were ultimately the only survivors of that niche-genre. Penguin Prison has opted to bring out the urgency of the song through an early 80’s disco vibe – and you will be hooked, I guarantee. Download it and dance away using the Soundcloud link above 🙂

You can also catch Penguin’s voice in the summery Caribbean-flavoured vibe of Viceroy’s “The Life” below.

BILLCS Top 30 #438 – August 25/14

This post will be about the highlights on the chart, as there is so much going on, with so much good new music find its way onto the chart too that others are making a quick exit. Plus there’s a rare event as a past hit re-enters the chart in a remixed version!

The New #1

Bright Light Bright Light gets his latest #1 (only his 5th since 2010 😉 ) with “I Believe”, from his sophomore album Life Is Easy. Past #1’s were “A New Word To Say”, “Love Part II”, “Waiting For The Feeling”, and the song that will follow “I Believe” as the next single from the album, “An Open Heart” (released on last year’s In Your Care EP). Rod (aka BLx2) will be on tour in England soon and then back to the US for more shows later in the year.

The Rest of the Top 20

“This Could Be Something” by Anton Ewald featuring Medina is one of the year’s ear-creepers as it advances to #2, matching Anton’s previous peak last year with the still-exhilarating “Begging”.
One of the year’s most unexpected pleasures is the europop/dubstep mix in “Time Has Come” by Finnish singer Hannis. It moves up to #3!

Sam Dickinson is one busy lad in the UK, set to perform a number of dates to promote the deluxe edition of his album The Stories That Occurred. “When You Left Me” will grab you from its first note, and it climbs 10-7, surpassing the previous #8 peak of last year’s equally riveting “Learn To Wait”.

The Presets are in fine funky form with “No Fun”, the Aussie duo’s latest and one of their most interesting songs to date. And I’m so pleased they’re coming back to North America for a Fall tour, so I’m hoping to catch them in Toronto on October 29 at the Danforth Music Hall this time. It’s been 5 years since I saw their show in California and I’m itching to hear the songs in concert that they’ve released since that time!!

Movin’ On Up

It’s absolutely no surprise that Sam Smith’s “I’m Not The Only One” is the fastest riser, jumping 22-13. It’s simply a classic pop song just like “Stay With Me” and is set to follow suit up my chart and others!

“Stranger” by Chris Malinchak & Mikky Ekko debuted just outside of the Top 40 in the UK this week, and I’m hoping interest will continue in this gorgeously sung and produced song. It moves up 18-14 and Mikky Ekko is set to release his debut album, which he previewed in concert in Times Square recently!

“Electrify The Night” leaves #1 after a month at the top, but the other collaboration by Davis Redfield & Carl Man, “Music Gods”, is on its own way up the chart, advancing 19-15.

Canadians Corey Niles and Ish and their busy hip hop/pop song “Get To Know You” are all fired up and climbing, this week up a massive 25-17!

I thought we’d hear more about what was next (besides more touring) for Neon Trees after the success of “Sleeping With A Friend” from their album Pop Psychology. In my chart world, “Love in the 21st Century” continues to rise, up 20-18.

Singer/songwriters Brandyn Burnette and Eli Lieb have good things going on with their latest single. Brandyn’s kiss off “Thanks For Nothing” moves 26-20 and Eli’s reminiscence of those special times listening to “Zeppelin” climbs 27-21.

Four Debuts!

The chart continues to be a revolving door for new music lately – it’s all soooo good!

I wrote about her EP What’s Mine Is Yours just the other day, but I’ve been waiting so long to chart Harriet’s “Afterglow” – I won’t chart songs until they are officially available for purchase/download. Nonetheless, “Afterglow” makes a huge splash at #16 – a must for your ears in 2014!

https://soundcloud.com/harrietsmusic/afterglow

While his “Knew You Better” holds at #9 this week, I mentioned two weeks ago that songs from Adam Tyler’s Shattered Ice deluxe edition have been quietly waiting for their turn on the chart. And with this edition there’s a double whammy. First, a rarity: “I Won’t Let You Go” returns after 3 years in a brilliant downtempo house-y remix by Aron Friedman that almost sounds like a new song. It returns at #22 and we’ll have to see if it matches the #5 peak of the original. It also may end up being the longest-lasting song on the chart as a re-entry if it lasts 9 appearances. The record for a re-entry is currently held by Ryan Star’s “Last Train Home”, which had 17 appearances in two separate chart runs. Then we have an insanely catchy new one, produced by Australia’s Paul Hetherington called “Criminal”, which I think should be the next single after “Knew You Better”. “Criminal” arrives at #27.

Debuting at #28 is Jamie Scott’s “Unbreakable”, which sounds like it could be a Fall smash with its emotional story and solid vocal performance from the singer of Graffiti6. Jamie’s album My Hurricane is on deck for October.

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.

08 01 I BELIEVE Bright Light Bright Light
03 02 THIS COULD BE SOMETHING Anton Ewald featuring Medina
05 03 TIME HAS COME Hannis
01 04 ELECTRIFY THE NIGHT House Rockerz featuring Davis Redfield & Carl Man
02 05 TIDAL WAVE Tristan Thompson
07 06 BOOM CLAP Charli XCX
10 07 WHEN YOU LEFT ME Sam Dickinson
14 08 NO FUN The Presets
09 09 KNEW YOU BETTER Adam Tyler
04 10 LITTLE ME (Steve Smart & Wildfunk radio edit) Little Mix
13 11 TEN FEET TALL Afrojack featuring Wrabel
15 12 BIG CITY GIRLS (DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH SMALL TOWN BOYS) Zorro Blakk
22 13 I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE Sam Smith
18 14 STRANGER Chris Malinchak featuring Mikky Ekko
19 15 MUSIC GODS Davis Redfield featuring Carl Man
New 16 AFTERGLOW Harriet
25 17 GET TO KNOW YOU Corey Niles featuring Ish
20 18 LOVE IN THE 21ST CENTURY Neon Trees
06 19 TELL IT TO MY HEART Jason Walker featuring Bimbo Jones
26 20 THANKS FOR NOTHING Brandyn Burnett
27 21 ZEPPELIN Eli Lieb
Re-entry 22 I WON’T LET YOU GO (Aron Friedman remix) Adam Tyler
28 23 JUST SAY HELLO Lyonn
29 24 AMNESIA 5 Seconds Of Summer
11 25 GOOD NEWS (FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS) Zorro Blakk featuring Deniz Olivieri
12 26 MIRACLE E-Mute
New 27 CRIMINAL Adam Tyler
New 28 UNBREAKABLE Jamie Scott
16 29 YOUR LOVE FADES AWAY Simone Denny
17 30 TRUST IT Nick Hagelin

Listen for My New Music Pick Of The Week on D-Moos.com!

He’ll House Us, Too: “2B” by @TheFrankMusik (video)

FRANKMUSIK, “2B” (video)

Some really great things just can’t wait. And I can understand so soon after releasing your most accessible, colourful, and fun video yet (for “Stabilizher”) might be seen as a tad risky. But who is Vincent Frank but to embrace risk!

So here it is, “2B” by FrankMusik, which doesn’t even appear on the singer’s recent By Nicole album. “2B” is unlike any other FrankMusik video or song. This is a complete throwback to 80’s/90’s house music, and my go to’s here would be Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis from their own Tabu Records roster, as well of course as their Janet Jackson productions, plus perhaps Michael Jackson and Hall & Oates’ work with Diana Ross earlier on in the 80’s. I love the dirty groove which just slams hard enough.

The video, shot by Danny Land again, is simple and classy, with a fair bit of edits, but all FrankMusik. I can’t wait for “2B” to be officially released. It’s going to open a door back into clubland that the songs on By Nicole were not meant for. And the remixes… oh yes, I hope there will be some crazy remixes! I was completely taken aback – excellent job all around on this!!

BILLCS Top 30 #431 – May 19/14

The new chart is positively shaking! So much activity – a new #1, and 7 debuts smash onto the chart! And because of the latter I’ll be skipping over some songs that are making headway, and we’ll catch up with them in two weeks.

The Top 10

Yes, it’s 18 year old Martin Garrix who has scored his second consecutive #1 with the free download “Proxy”, following the so-amazing success of “Animals”. And there always seems to be Martin Garrix news to report on every few weeks. The latest is collaboration with Sander van Doorn and DVBBS featuring vocalist Aleesia on “Gold Skies”. The new song is a mix between Tegan & Sara’s “Closer” and Zedd & Foxes’ “Clarity”, and the video is day in the life of couple on a road trip. Could be a summer sleeper!

Adam Tyler has a personal best this week as “Electric Valentine” climbs to #3. His deluxe edition of his album Shattered Ice, featuring new songs and reduxes of songs from the album, plus last year’s “Fade Into The Light” and of course “Electric Valentine”, will be available on June 10. You can stream the new songs at the link below, and I draw your attention to a really infectious piece of business called “Criminal”, which will have you singing along and humming to a melody which is a bit of a throwback to the 80’s.

https://soundcloud.com/adamtylermusic/sets/shattered-ice-deluxe-edition

Happy 22nd Birthday to Sam Smith, who has three entries on the chart, two of which are on the rise – “Stay With Me” rises to #4, and “Not In That Way” is up to #11.

Rixton is turning out to be the pop flavour of May with “Me And My Broken Heart” now heard everywhere, and up to #5 on my chart!
“Love Space” continues on the rise for Convulsic at #6, while “The Day You Left” is also on fire at #12!

They were all destined for the Top 10 and arrive this week: “Fall Into Love” by Wrathschild at #8, FrankMusik’s “Dear Nicole” at #9, and “I Wish We Were Leaving” by Bright Light Bright Light & Elton John at #10. New videos are in the works for both FrankMusik (“Stabilizher”) and Wrathschild, while Bright Light x2’s sophomore album Life Is Easy is on deck for July 7.

The Fastest Risers

Last week’s debut by DVBBS & MOTi “This Is Dirty” is the one to watch as it climbs 23-16.

Right behind is Andy Grammer’s heart-tugger “Back Home”, moving up 22-17.

And Now, On To Those Debuts

I’ve written about them all, so their arrival on my chart proves they have staying power, and then some!

Most noteworthy is Tristan Thompson’s “Tidal Wave” from the Canadian singer’s debut album Here For You. Check out the rich, soulful style… and he’s only 15! It’s kind of appropriate (and totally unintentional) that “Tidal Wave” makes a huge bow at #15 🙂 Stream Tristan’s entire album including “Tidal Wave” right here.

I’ve been having such a good time with Jason Walker’s cover of Taylor Dayne’s “Tell It To My Heart” (featuring Bimbo Jones) that the club hit blasts on to my chart at #20!

It’s not really readily available, but since it’s released somewhere, the explosive “Electrify The Night” by House Rockerz, Davis Redfield and UK singer Carl Man charges on to the chart at #22. I’ve put the song on my Soundcloud site for now so you can hear it (hopefully it doesn’t get taken down) 🙂

One of the most inventive songs around with a contagious melody is “Good News (For People Who Love Bad News)” by Zorro Blakk (aka Daniel Volpe) featuring Deniz Oliveiri, which arrives at #25, from Zorro’s debut album The Fairy Tale Of Zorro Blakk.

Though I’ve been listening to SIRPAUL’s “Black Leather” for quite a while now, the arrival of its NSFW and limit-testing video in support of this latest single from the singer’s Seventh Star album sends it on to the chart at #28. WARNING: Uncensored version – discretion advised!

Pop Psychology by Neon Trees is one of the year’s best surprises for me in terms of a straight forward, well done pop album that still retains its alt.rock roots. I’m going off the beaten path though and the song that lands on my chart is “Teenager In Love” at #29.

Kongos’ diverse sound with South African roots has won me over with their rock album Lunatic, and the bass-laden “Hey I Don’t Know” debuts 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.

02 01 PROXY Martin Garrix
01 02 LATCH Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
04 03 ELECTRIC VALENTINE Adam Tyler
06 04 STAY WITH ME Sam Smith
09 05 ME AND MY BROKEN HEART Rixton
07 06 LOVE SPACE Convulsic
03 07 CANNONBALL (EARTHQUAKE) Showtek & Justin Prime featuring Matthew Koma
11 08 FALL INTO LOVE Wrathschild
13 09 DEAR NICOLE FrankMusik
12 10 I WISH WE WERE LEAVING Bright Light Bright Light & Elton John
15 11 NOT IN THAT WAY Sam Smith
17 12 THE DAY YOU LEFT Convulsic
05 13 FINEST CLOTHES IN TOWN Nick Hagelin
16 14 SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT 5 Seconds Of Summer
New 15 TIDAL WAVE Tristan Thompson
23 16 THIS IS DIRTY DVBBS & MOTi
22 17 BACK HOME Andy Grammer
08 18 FIND YOU Zedd featuring Matthew Koma & Miriam Bryant
10 19 BACK TO CALIFORNIA Steve Grand
New 20 TELL IT TO MY HEART Jason Walker featuring Bimbo Jones
25 21 BE MINE Kendal Thompson
New 22 ELECTRIFY THE NIGHT House Rockerz featuring Davis Redfield & Carl Man
14 23 MONEY ON MY MIND Sam Smith
18 24 HORNY Lonnie Gordon
New 25 GOOD NEWS (FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS) Zorro Blakk featuring Deniz Oliveiri
19 26 LOVE ME AGAIN John Newman
20 27 ADDICTED TO YOU Avicii featuring Audra Mae
New 28 BLACK LEATHER SIRPAUL
New 29 TEENAGER IN LOVE Neon Trees
New 30 HEY I DON’T KNOW Kongos

@divaJasonWalker is Back and Killing It With “Tell It To My Heart”

JASON WALKER featuring BIMBO JONES, “Tell It To My Heart”

You all may know New York singer Jason Walker best for a little ditty called “Set It Free”, which glided all the way to #1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart in 2005. Jason’s had other songs do very well, but he’s back killing it (with UK DJ/remixers Bimbo Jones) with a cover of Taylor Dayne’s classic “Tell It To My Heart”. That I’m writing about a cover of that song says lots! This is a frenetic rave up that just won’t let up! Like Taylor’s original, the song requires a HUGE vocal and Jason absolutely takes no prisoners. It’s already Top 20 on the Dance Club Play chart and no wonder. It’s just plain gosh darned explosive! Get the 25 (!!) remix EP on iTunes (the Toy Armada & DJ Grind remix is particularly cool) and listen and dance to it in every shape and form possible 🙂 *out of breath*

All Anew: “Beginning Everyday” by @Naommon

NAOMMON, Beginning Everyday (EP)

“Beginning Everyday” is the fresh start you need to hear as the summer months approach. It’s one of those songs you want to hear on a beautiful sunny morning, even though you’ll know that there is a serious undercurrent to it. Its singer, Naommon, hails from France but is based out of London. He’s got a fine, restrained voice that shows off a lovely timbre on “Beginning Everyday”. Think of Sweden’s Darin with a slightly deeper voice, and a somewhat minimal sound that would go hand-in-hand with fellow French dance artist The Aikiu, who I wrote about not long ago. “Beginning Everyday” (video below) is a pleasant alterna-pop record that might just need an edit for radio play, being a little long at close to 5:00. Also included in its EP are five remixes. Australia’s Parralox comes off best, giving a gracious house-lite flavour to the song. The other remixes succeed in not blowing the song up into a dance anthem and capture its subtle qualities quite nicely. Beginning Everyday is available on iTunes. You might also check out Naommon’s cover of Blur’s “Girls And Boys” (also below), which trades in-yer-face middle-finger-salute sarcasm of the original and replaces it with a droll and contemporary disco cabaret rendition.

BILLCS Top 30 #429 – April 21/14

If it’s one performer that this edition of my new personal chart is all about, it’s UK pop/soul singer Sam Smith. There are 4 Sam Smith entries, including a former #1 (now at #8) and another debut! Plus, I get to see him in concert on Wednesday April 23 at the Virgin Mod Club in Toronto 🙂

The Top 10:

The killer dance tune that is “Cannonball (Earthquake)” holds #1 down handily for Showtek, Justin Prime & Matthew Koma, as the song debuts at #29 in the UK 🙂
We may be a touch late on it in North America, but “Latch” by Disclosure and Sam Smith vaults to #2 to challenge for the top in two weeks.

Martin Garrix may have a say as to who succeeds “Cannonball (Earthquake)” at #1. His free download of “Proxy” soars 13-3 to tie for the fastest riser on the chart. And Martin has plenty in store for us over the next few months to keep us busy!

All of this activity has left “Find You” by Zedd, Matthew Koma & Miriam Bryant at #4, and free download “Electric Valentine” by Adam Tyler at #5, each holding for a second appearance.
It looks like Nick Hagelin’s long-awaited EP City Lights will see release in the first week of May. His fun and ace pop/soul/hip hop song with an old school sample or two “Finest Clothes In Town” (available again as a free download) moves up 9-6 🙂

“Love Me Again” by John Newman continues to climb, moving 8-7 on the new chart.
The only other new Top 10 entry is a zinger for San Diego’s EDM/dubstep rising star Convulsic. “Love Space” jumps 12-9 while another of his songs debuts below…

Onward and Upward:

It’s a stellar week for Sam Smith, two songs in the Top 10, and the soul ballad “Stay With Me” ties with “Proxy” as the fastest riser, soaring 21-11.
It’s release week for the Aviation album for Semi-Precious Weapons amid shows throughout the U.S.! “Drink” continues to climb my chart at #12.
May and June will be important months for Steve Grand as his All American Boy album will see release and then he will be touring the blazes out of it, appearing at numerous Gay Pride events in North America. The pensive “Back To California” jumps 17-13 on my chart.

This past week Rod Thomas (aka Bright Light Bright Light) will in fact be opening for Elton John on some dates on his European tour! That’s an amazing feat for an independent performer and Elton has shown great interest in new acts this past year. Their marvellous duet on “I Wish We Were Leaving” moves up 19-14.
The engaging and colourful video for Wrathschild’s “Fall Into Love” continues to attract new fans. The song rises 22-15 as the duo of Simon Curtis and Wolfy record another new song.

Rixton’s “Me And My Broken Heart” is one of those songs that has you reeled in from its first note, very remiscent of Maroon 5 meets Lawson for the UK band. It moves up 26-17 – let’s get these boys over here in North American for shows!
FrankMusik announced that his By Nicole album will be issued on Monday, April 28. So many releases to look forward to over the next few weeks! In the meantime, “Dear Nicole”, which features one of the singer’s most powerful vocals just past the half way mark, moves up 24-18.

I suppose over 2 million Twitter followers might signal a sell out, which indeed 5 Seconds Of Summer had with their Toronto show last Saturday. The song with that underwear video, “She Looks So Perfect”, rises 27-21.

New to the Chart:

Not to sound like a broken record, but leading the way once again on the new chart is another beautiful Sam Smith song, this time it’s “Not In That Way” from his upcoming album In The Lonely Hour, which is slated for a June release, which seems a long way off, though you can get “Not In That Way” on iTunes already. Check out the live performance of the song at the top of this blog post. “Not In That Way” bows at #22.

Next up is “The Day You Left”, another infectious EDM single from Convulsic, which has a steadier female vocal than “Love Space” and is full of powerful drops that will make your eardrums pop. It arrives at #24 and is available on iTunes.

Andy Grammer’s positive vibe of “Keep Your Head Up” sent the song to #9 on my chart back in 2011, and after one album and an EP, the heartwarming “Back Home” leads the way for a new album. The song debuts at #28.

Toronto-based singer Kendal Thompson dropped “Be Mine” as a free ‘thank you’ download on Valentine’s Day, along with a mysterious and eye-catching video. “Be Mine” enters the chart 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 CANNONBALL (EARTHQUAKE) Showtek & Justin Prime featuring Matthew Koma
06 02 LATCH Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
13 03 PROXY Martin Garrix
04 04 FIND YOU Zedd featuring Matthew Koma & Miriam Bryant
05 05 ELECTRIC VALENTINE Adam Tyler
09 06 FINEST CLOTHES IN TOWN Nick Hagelin
08 07 LOVE ME AGAIN John Newman
02 08 MONEY ON MY MIND Sam Smith
12 09 LOVE SPACE Convulsic
03 10 ADDICTED TO YOU Avicii featuring Audra Mae
21 11 STAY WITH ME Sam Smith
14 12 DRINK Semi-Precious Weapons
17 13 BACK TO CALIFORNIA Steve Grand
19 14 I WISH WE WERE LEAVING Bright Light Bright Light & Elton John
22 15 FALL INTO LOVE Wrathschild
16 16 READY FOR YOU NOW Sean O’Reilly
26 17 ME AND MY BROKEN HEART Rixton
24 18 DEAR NICOLE Frankmusik
20 19 HORNY Lonnie Gordon
07 20 DARE YOU Hardwell featuring Matthew Koma
27 21 SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT 5 Seconds Of Summer
New 22 NOT IN THAT WAY Sam Smith
18 23 TALK DIRTY Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz
New 24 THE DAY YOU LEFT Convulsic
10 25 F FOR YOU Disclosure featuring Mary J. Blige
11 26 TAKE COVER Neverest
15 27 COLLIDE Jake Miller
New 28 BACK HOME Andy Grammer
New 29 BE MINE Kendal Thompson
25 30 HAPPY Pharrell Williams

BILLCS Top 30 #428 – April 7/14

Dance music rules the ascending songs on my new personal charts, while some striking new pure pop songs debut 🙂

The Top 10

All but one of our songs in the Top 10 move up, and that’s because the only song that moves down was #1 two weeks ago…

The irresistible house banger collaboration of Showtek & Justin Prime with Matthew Koma, a reworking of last year’s instrumental “Cannonball” with Koma vocals and lyrics on “Cannonball (Earthquake)” (video up top) grabs #1! The rest of my active Top 10 however responds to their catch line of ‘Show us what you got / When the m***erfuckin’ beat drops’… It’s also Matthew Koma’s 4th #1 entry, following “Spectrum”, “Parachute”, and “1998”.
It looks like “Addicted To You” by Avicii featuring the unbilled Audra Mae is smashing it worldwide too. It rises to #3 and watch the new video for it below.

Ascending into the Top 5 are “Find You” (6-4), which has cracked the Top 40 for Zedd, Matthew Koma & Miriam Bryant, and Adam Tyler’s poptastic free download “Electric Valentine” (7-5), becoming the singer’s 3rd Top 5er on my chart 🙂
Sam Smith’s “Money On My Mind” gives way and falls from first to second place, but his entry with Disclosure, the affecting “Latch”, has its eyes on the top of the chart, moving 10-6.
The third and last Matthew Koma entry remains in the Top 10 – it’s Hardwell’s “Dare You” up 9-7.
The three new entries to the Top 10 breakaway from the log jam on the last chart: John Newman’s “Love Me Again” climbs 13-8, with Nick Hagelin’s “Finest Clothes In Town” catching fire 14-9, and Disclosure x2, featuring Mary J. Blige on the redone “F For You” at #10. Listen/watch the latter two below.

Also On The Rise

San Diego’s Convulsic brings his inventive EDM/dubstep game with “Love Space” climbing 17-12, with more to come from this talented newcomer.

Right behind is Martin Garrix, whose free download of EDM/trap song “Proxy” is on fire, and packs a wallop on the chart, moving 23-13 as the fastest riser 🙂

Semi-Precious Weapons’ “Drink” moves 15-14 behind some heavier songs now, but the band recently released its lyric video to “Look To The Stars” as their full album is on deck for release. Watch below.

Jason Derulo has apparently only teased us with his Tattoos EP, so a full album called Talk Dirty will be coming soon. While the title song is a lot of fun and climbs 22-18, I’m hoping the new album continues along the lines of some of his pop successes too like “Whatcha Say” or “In My Head”.
And talking dirty and “Horny” seem to fall hand-in-hand on this chart, so Lonnie Gordon’s could-be dance club hit moves up 24-20.
Sandwiched rather adroitly in-between, “I Wish We Were Leaving” by Bright Light Bright Light and Elton John climb 25-19 while BLx2’s EP of the same name arrived today on iTunes with two remixes of “I Wish”. Also give a listen to a new song on the EP “She Carves Her Desire” below.

FrankMusik continues with his prolific releases in anticipation of his full album called By Nicole. His opening single “Dear Nicole” advances 28-24, while the video for a new song “These Streets”, with an interesting mix of jaunty melody and affecting lyrics, arrived this past week. Watch below.

Debuts!!

I cannot get enough of Sam Smith, cannot wait to see his show on April 23, and thoroughly enjoyed his two performances on Saturday Night Live. One of these was for the R&B-flavoured ballad “Stay With Me”, and this stunner bows at #21, from his upcoming In The Lonely Hour album, not due till June (but maybe Capitol/Universal will move it up on the sked…).

It’s already caused a stir online, and if you’ve been in hiding then you’ve missed the new project brought to us by Simon Curtis and Wolfy (Ro Danishei) called Wrathschild. “Fall Into Love” is a gorgeous pure pop testament to those feelings when you’re on that cusp, and it arrives at #22. And with the pair’s already fine chart pedigree – Simon with 5 #1’s, Wolfy with one of those plus another Top 10er – “Fall Into Love” will do very, very well.

It appears we’re on another roll in the boy band genre, but this time with guys who play their music as well as sing it. England’s Rixton has “Me And My Broken Heart” at #26, and like Martin Garrix, has Scooter Braun management in their court. Then there’s Australia’s 5 Seconds Of Summer with the extremely fun, catchy “She Looks So Perfect” nabbing #1 in the UK last week and premiering on my chart at #27.

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.

02 01 CANNONBALL (EARTHQUAKE) Showtek & Justin Prime featuring Matthew Koma
01 02 MONEY ON MY MIND Sam Smith
04 03 ADDICTED TO YOU Avicii featuring Audra Mae
06 04 FIND YOU Zedd featuring Matthew Koma & Miriam Bryant
07 05 ELECTRIC VALENTINE Adam Tyler
10 06 LATCH Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
09 07 DARE YOU Hardwell featuring Matthew Koma
13 08 LOVE ME AGAIN John Newman
14 09 FINEST CLOTHES IN TOWN Nick Hagelin
12 10 F FOR YOU Disclosure featuring Mary J. Blige
03 11 TAKE COVER Neverest
17 12 LOVE SPACE Convulsic
23 13 PROXY Martin Garrix
15 14 DRINK Semi-Precious Weapons
05 15 COLLIDE Jake Miller
19 16 READY FOR YOU NOW Sean O’Reilly
20 17 BACK TO CALIFORNIA Steve Grand
22 18 TALK DIRTY Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz
25 19 I WISH WE WERE LEAVING Bright Light Bright Light & Elton John
24 20 HORNY Lonnie Gordon
New 21 STAY WITH ME Sam Smith
New 22 FALL INTO LOVE Wrathschild
11 23 INTO THE BLUE Kylie Minogue
28 24 DEAR NICOLE FrankMusik
08 25 HAPPY Pharrell Williams
New 26 ME AND MY BROKEN HEART Rixton
New 27 SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT 5 Seconds Of Summer
16 28 MOTEL POOL Travis Garland
21 29 INVISIBLE U2
27 30 MANiCURE Lady GaGa