I take this pause in reviewing songs, albums and videos to rave about River Tiber’s concert in Toronto last night in anticipation of their new album Synapses due January 1.
As regular readers know, I have been touting multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Tommy Paxton-Beesley and his band since first hearing their From Now On album at the top of this year. I’ve now seen three shows by them, heard the Remixes and Massachusetts EP’s, as well as two songs from the upcoming album, “What Are You Afraid Of” (video below, created and directed by Tommy) and “I’m Not Here” (also listen below). By far, last night’s experience epitomizes why I go out to club shows to see new performers as well as my favourites. You end up seeing a show that you were glad not to miss.
The set mainly focuses on untried new material, book-ended by “Someday” at the top and “These Are Centuries” (which both landed up my chart earlier in the year, at #1 and #13 respectively) at the end. The rest of the show – which included “What Are You Afraid Of” – introduced a new River Tiber, incorporating ace guitar, bass, and drums/percussion work, as well as Tommy’s striking Jeff Buckley-esque vocals (hope you won’t get tired of that comparison ’cause it’s true 🙂 )which gave me chills of the best kind, along with very layered keyboard sounds and drum effects which might not sound out of place next to songs by the Chemical Brothers or Gorillaz. The club (Silver Dollar Room) where it was held is noted for showcasing Blues, Jazz and Folk performers, and regulars to this club might have seemed like fish out of water last night, but it was clear from the attention being paid to the show that River Tiber totally won them over.
Watch my Twitter feed for more River Tiber news, including upcoming shows – if you’re in Toronto in early January for the next one, which will be a CD release show, you won’t want to miss it.
I think we should be seeing some new blood invading the chart soon. In the meantime…
“Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia & John Martin holds at #1, while “Parachute” from Matthew Koma’s EP of the same name is now at #2 and looks to follow his pairing with Zedd on “Spectrum” (#10) to the top spot. “Music Makes Me Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega hangs tough at #3, while the understated (and unfortunately underperforming) “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse & Natasha Bedingfield zips up to #4. Lifehouse’s Almeria will be on release before the next chart on December 17. And Bright Light Bright Light gets yet another Top 5er with “Feel It”. Do go to this link for BLx2’s musical Christmas Advent calendar of mashups – today he meshed his own “Moves” with “Your Loving Arms”, the classic 90’s club hit by Billie Ray Martin (listen and download below).
In the ‘movin’ on up’ category, we find a contender for the top bounding up to #6 – “Yeah Yeah” by Willy Moon (stylish video up top), who performs two gigs in New York City this week. “Evolved” by Vague-à-bonde continues to impress by rising to #7, and “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler (who is in Sweden, for fans of “V” – video below) moves to #8. “Let’s Go” by Matt & Kim becomes their third Top Tenner on this chart at #9.
You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can clickright here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so
Not to be outdone, “Skyfall” by Adele is no slouch at #12, while the fastest riser on the chart is the infectious controversy-generating “Play The Girl” by The Netherlands’ Tao Hypah, vaulting 21-13. It’s just one of those songs that has a message which is totally secondary to its engaging melody and chorus. “Good Girlfriend” by Kid Massive & DATABOY and “Must Be the Love” by Arty, Nadia Ali & BT continue to follow each other’s dance steps up the chart at #14 and #15 respectively. Bim’s “Burn” continues to sear its way up at #17, with last week’s pop parade of “Time Bomb (Walk Away)” by Chris Wallace and “1998” by Matthew Koma” in tow at #18 and #19, as well as Daniel Bedingfield’s “O.V.E.R. U.” at #21.
The three debuts have already been written about in these pages so absolutely no surprise that they land on the chart. “Fast As I Can” bows at #25 and is the first independently released single by FrankMusik from his upcoming album You Are here, due at end of January. As good as the song is, this one revels in a powerful, soulful Vincent Frank vocal. Vince also posted a most beautiful demo of a ballad recently called “Shores” – do give a listen below. Matt & Kim score entry #2 from their Lightning album with “Now” at #27 (live clip below). After the duo take a well-deserved break from touring, they will be back at it with Passion Pit in the new year.
Finally, The Presets arrive at #29 with “Youth In Trouble” from their Pacifica album (live clip below). The song was the first video we saw and has resonated much longer than the official single “Ghosts”. The duo will be back in home country Australia in the new year for more dates.
While studying French many years ago, I gained an innate appreciation for French and Quebecois culture, and one thing I adore is the humour. We already had an amusing bilingual single from Ian Lee earlier this year (“So Nice To Meet You”), and he’s back passing his worries away with “Je ne m’en fais pas” (from the EP of the same name, available on iTunes). He’s the straight man in the video just trying to perform his song and get the girl, despite all kinds of wacky antics. Oh and producer John Nathaniel gets in on the acting too (sorry dude your cheekbones are a dead giveaway). Watch below.
In My Coma, “Dreamers”
Their album Magnets & Miracles came out over a year ago, but this three piece band from the Toronto area featuring singer/guitarist Jasper James, bassist LauraDoll, and drummer Mike Paterson, has gained a lot of momentum this year, most recently opening up for Sum 41 in Toronto through a contest that they won. “Dreamers” is the latest video which continues to show off their flare for thoughtful lyrics and progressive rock-oriented melody. I’ll continue touting them but all you really need to do is see them in concert or listen to the album to hear them showcase their 90s-influenced brand of rock that seems to be making a comeback. Watch “Dreamers” below.
Shane Harper, “Dancing in the Rain”
Ever since he started appearing as Spencer in the TV show “Good Luck Charlie” (which I have little choice to watch, having a 12 year old daughter), I’ve been following Shane Harper’s music as he tries to extend beyond his Disney audience. He’s a multi-talent for sure – sings, plays music, acts, dances extremely well – and a song and video like “Dancing In The Rain” seals the deal. It’s a great, joyous showcase for Shane to show his mass appeal and it’s just a matter of time now before he breaks out of the Disney circle. Watch below.
Spencer, “The Quest for Pop (It’s What I Love)”
I’m writing this by actually secondingMy Fizzy Pop’s review from a few weeks back. New UK singer Spencer reminds me a whole lot vocally of American counterpart Chris Wallace, except with “The Quest For Pop” he’s dipped into relatively recent British music history. The song is a paean to the Stock-Aitken-Waterman era of dance pop, and the highly retro approach is extremely appealing. Lord knows what today’s youngins will make of it all, but it definitely strikes an emotional nerve in those of us who are older. I’m quite content to have more of this, please. Watch below.
Daley featuring Jessie J, “Remember Me”
You may recall 23 year old UK blue-eyed soul singer Daley (first name Gareth) from a few years back when he was featured on Gorillaz’s “Doncamatic”, which was a terrific Top 40 UK hit showcase for his far-ranging and unique voice that sometimes sounds like Jay Kay of Jamiroquai. He subsequently released a mixtape grab bag called Those Who Wait, from which his song “Smoking Gun” got some attention. He’s back and poised to make a huge splash with a debut album, and his pairing with Jessie J on “Remember Me” sparkles and keeps you listening and watching all the way through. I loves me that British soul stuff and Daley has the punch and presence to drive it home. Watch below.
Saint Motel, “Benny Goodman”
The L.A. quartet is back with another clever video directed by singer A/J Jackson, this time the most infectious and winning song from their album Voyeur,which I wrote about this summerafter checking out the band in concert. The video is equally compelling, with some great moves from a young dancer who is going to go places fast. He pretty much owns the video thanks to the deliberate non-reaction of the rest of the folks in the video, though it’s enhanced when some lovely ladies get up and join him. The song got to #15 on my chart recently and I’m hoping this video will generate some more notoriety for this talented troup. Watch below.
Usually I don’t write about some of the biggest names in the biz unless they happen to land on my personal chart. But two of my favourites are back and I can’t resist.
Cher, “Woman’s World”
Cher’s music has been a part of my life since I was a wee lad, and I like others of my AM Top 40 era thoroughly enjoyed her solo hits like “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”, “Dark Lady”, “Half-Breed”, “Train of Thought”, and her disco entry “Take Me Home”. I couldn’t get into her 80’s soft rock, but “Believe” arrived about a year after I had been publishing my chart online and it, along with “The Music’s No Good Without You”, would find their way to my Top 10. The great thing about “Woman’s World” (from her upcoming still-untitled 26th album and first in 11 years) is that it sounds slick without being overproduced to the point that the vocal is over-enhanced. The message of the song will put Cher back up near the top of the charts again with Britney, Christina, Katy, Jessie J, and Pink, which proves these days at 66 you can release a song that’s as solid as for someone much younger. If Cher charts at pop on Billboard, she will be the only artist to chart in six consecutive decades (though she already accomplished it on another chart – the dance club play chart last year with “You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me”. Listen below.
Prince, “Rock And Roll Love Affair”
After premiering the song on the Jimmy Kimmel show this past week, it looks like eternally young 54 year old Prince is back in classic 80s/90s form with “Rock And Roll Love Affair”. Highlighting his always wicked guitar work, the otherwise stripped down sound is highly reminiscent of songs from Around The World In A Day or Diamonds & Pearls. What can you say – this is probably his best song in about 15 years, though I know there are many fans of his Grammy-winning 2004 album Musicology as well as 2006’s 3121. Watch below.
FrankMusik, “Fast As I Can”
Things are looking much brighter for FrankMusik (aka Vincent Frank), who is poised to release his third solo album independently early next year, titled You Are Here. He posted the track listing on Twitter, which will include one of my absolute faves by him, the 2011 ballad “Hurt You Again”. It also includes his latest single “Fast As I Can”, which features a gruffer voiced Vince which gives the song a more soulful feel than usual. The lyrics tell about a needed escape from a relationship, and the video shows Vince all dressed up as he heads on to better times down at the beach. As usual his inventive production keeps “Fast As You Can” stuck in your head. Watch below.
River Tiber, “I’m Not Here”
I can’t wait for River Tiber’s new album Synapses to see release. An Edge 102 new music showcase at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto almost two weeks ago apparently went well, and the Toronto band is playing again at the Silver Dollar on December 7. If I can get to that gig I hope to hear more. First we had the experimental “What Are You Afraid Of”, and now you can hear “I’m Not Here” below. Tommy Paxton-Beesley is the uber-talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist behind this project, and the jazz-inflected quiet behind “I’m Not Here” explodes with his startlingly Jeff Buckley-infused vocal around the 2:15 mark which not only gives shivers up your spine but brings the loneliness and isolation in the lyrics all the way home.
Monti Montanez, “En El Oscuridad”
Monti’s song “Turn Up The Radio” was one of the more pop-flavoured highlights of the must-have EDM compilation from this past Spring, This Beat Is… Poptronik Volume 1 (and yes, Volume 2 is coming next year!), featuring his guy-next-door vocal and a couple of neat hooks to make the song a tidy under three minute listen. He’s back with a busy and fun dance record this time all in Spanish called “En El Oscuridad”, which is more designed to get your attention the way that “On The Floor” did for Jennifer Lopez. Could he be the next Enrique Iglesias? “En El Oscuridad” is a game effort. Watch below.
Bear with me with this bare-bones write up of the songs on my latest personal chart. Aside from a few new videos, of course you can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so
Swedish House Mafia & John Martin get their turn at the top with the memorable “Don’t You Worry Child”, which displaces another fave of mine, “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega, which should hang around in the Top 10.
But aside from the turnover at #1, the chart seems to be about one name. The name is Koma. Matthew Koma. Not only does his collaboration with Zedd on “Spectrum” stay in the Top 5 at #3, but the title track of his EP Parachute vaults 17-4, which could result in a shorter stay at #1 for the Mafia. The New Yorker also debuts at #26 with “1998”, which definitely shows his edgier rock style, definitely recalling post-punk folks like Elvis Costello and XTC. His album Propaganda will be out in early ’13 – woo!
It puts a smile on my face every time I play Bright Light Bright Light’s mashup of his hit “Feel It” with Scissor Sisters’ “Let’s Have A Kiki”. “Feel It” moves up to #6 this week, and the Lifehouse/Natasha Bedingfield collaboration on “Between The Raindrops” is slowly finding favour, rising 10-7. Watch the video below – too bad there aren’t any scenes with Jason and Natasha together.
Two newcomers join the Top 10, songs that you won’t really find elsewhere! “Evolved” by Vague-à-bonde climbs 11-8 as the singer (Nicole Alicia) prepares a video and more new songs. “Evolved” has one of those immensely likeable qualities – it just sneaks up on you and hits you between the eyes with its chorus. Mesmerizing in a different way is “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler which rises 12-10 and can be found on Jane’s EP Mistaken Identity which you can buy on iTunes.
Despite many songs tumbling on the chart, there’s still quite a bit of activity. “Yeah Yeah” by New Zealand’s Willy Moon soars 22-11 as the singer tours in the UK. Matt & Kim wrap up their Lightning tour (though they are touring with Passion Pit in 2013) and “Let’s Go” jumps 15-12. Kid Massive & DATABOY make a great pairing as “Good Girlfriend” moves 20-17 (video below). Right behind is the Arty/Nadia Ali/BT collaboration “Must Be The Love” at #18, Adele’s “Skyfall” at #19, “Burn” by Bim at #20, and “Play The Girl” by Tao Hypah at #21.
Joining the chart are two more new entries. I’m hoping it may not be too premature, but since “Remember When” by Chris Wallace exits after a mandatory 10 chart (20 week) run, I’ve installed “Time Bomb (Walk Away)” at #25. To me this is the natural follow up to “Remember When”. Over the past two weeks, Daniel Bedingfield released the provocative video to “Secret Fear”, which got to #5 on my chart this summer. The video is quite a feat, developed and directed by Daniel, and filled with numerous meanings. I’ve also been playing “O.V.E.R. U.” from his free Secret Fear-Stop The Traffik EP for months, and it arrives on the chart at #27. Listen to “Time Bomb” and “O.V.E.R. U.” and watch the video for “Secret Fear” below.
Shorter and more frequent blog posts coming your way soon!!
Even though we had a song with a video about an alien love story at the top of the chart two weeks ago, my Hallowe’en party song for 2012 is “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega, which climbs to #1 for this edition of my chart, succeeding “Spectrum” by Zedd & Matthew Koma. Carlos is working on an album and I’ll be one of the first to have news on it as it happens. In the meantime buy “MMYLC” on iTunes and support independent music by doing so!
Zooming to #3 to become a real challenge for the top is “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin, which looks to replicate its UK #1 status in other countries too. The Mafia are playing to huge crowds on what looks to be a final tour for the trio. Below is a live clip of the song. Also joining the Top 5 is “Anything Could Happen” by Ellie Goulding, which still seems to be getting lost in the success of “Lights”. Nonetheless it is one of the more joyous sounding songs of the year.
After coming off of a successful UK tour supporting Scissor Sisters, Bright Light Bright Light continues to rise up the chart to #7 with new single “Feel It”, which features several remixes and a new/old song “Good Times”. Rod Thomas (BLx2) has once again given us a free download of a remix, coupling “Good Times” with Black Box’s “Everybody Everybody” as “Good Body”, below.
Two songs join the Top 10. “Unheard” (#9) by Netherlands singer Jeronimo isn’t a single, but is one of the most enjoyable and irresistible songs from his debut album One Kiss. And “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield is indeed a grower, leaping 18-10, as I look forward to the band’s next album Almeria and perhaps a tour in 2013. Take a look at a live clip of Lifehouse performing the song, below.
You can view the full chart using the link under***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so
Below the Top 10 is a steady busy stream of great music. “Evolved” by Vague-a-bonde moves to #11 as the singer records a new album. This independent release has a crackling good hook and a soft, winning vocal (listen below). Jane Badler’s “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” is at #12 and is also featured in the Stormby remix on the compilation Kiss My Lipstick Off. Imagine Dragons’ anthem “It’s Time” is now at #14, while Matt & Kim’s rollicking “Let’s Go” climbs to #15. As the release of Lotus approaches, “Your Body” by Christina Aguilera moves up to #16, and Mika’s “Popular Song” (taking its cue from “Popular” from “Wicked”) is up to #18. Kid Massive & DATABOY have a UK club hit with “Good Girlfriend” at #20, while “Must Be The Love” by Arty, Nadia Ali & BT jumps to #21.
As I expected two weeks ago, the chart got a bit of housecleaning and there are five new entries. It’s no surprise that the highest, at #17, is “Parachute” by Matthew Koma, ifyou read my rave about it recently. The one newcomer that I haven’t written about yet is “Yeah Yeah” by Willy Moon at #22. You know it as an iPod commercial song. But on its own, it’s a powerful crowd-pleaser from this 23 year old New Zealand native who is currently touring in the UK and Europe opening for Jack White. Watch the stylish, simple and fun choreography in the video below.
Despite the overhype, Adele’s theme for the new James Bond film “Skyfall” rises above it all, being such a gorgeous piece of drama unto itself, landing at #23 on the chart. At #25 is “Burn” by Bim from their Lifelines EP, which is due for worldwide release this week. This is the opener to the EP but is the core of it, full of intense emotions that could write their own book. The video is intriguing with its comic book theme, and really doesn’t have much to do with the song – watch below. Lastly, “Play The Girl” by another Netherlands singer, Tao Hypah,which I also wrote about recently, debuts at #28 following the #3 success of “Celeb”.
This edition of my personal chart is top heavy with activity, which means only two debuts and a number of songs which will exit the chart in two weeks (including DATABOY’s magnificent #1 “Dreams Are Gold” (#10), which is at its maximum 10 appearances – 20 weeks).
“Spectrum” by Zedd featuring Matthew Koma slides comfortably into #1 as the German producer continues his tour (stopping here in Toronto on November 2) to promote his new album Clarity. But the song will be battling it out in two weeks with the insanely catchy “Music Makes Me Lose Control” by Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega, which has been itching to bust a move up the chart these past few weeks, and finally does so, vaulting 6 to 2. This leaves “Remember When (Push Rewind)” by Chris Wallace at #3, “Go For Gold” by Kyle Patrick at #4, and the Green Children remix of “Houdini” by Foster The People at #5.
And there’s no shortage of movement in the rest of the Top 10. “Long Time” by Sweden’s John De Sohn featuring Andreas Moe climbs to #6, “Anything Could Happen” by Ellie Goulding (below) jumps 10-7 despite getting lost in the extended success of “Lights”, and “Feel It” by Bright Light Bright Light featuring Mikal Kilgore is the only new addition to the Top 10 at #9.
You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can clickright here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so
There’s a bit of a log jam just outside of the Top 10, with “Unheard” by Jeronimo bumped up to #11, and Bim’s “Lights Out” rising to #12. But then we have the fastest riser, “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin soaring 24-14 and bound to be a contender for #1 in the coming weeks. Jane Badler’s sensational drama of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” moves to #15, “Evolved” by Vague-à-bonde (below) climbs to #16 – the lady herself is opening for Diamond Rings in Minneapolis soon – with “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons and “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield right behind. Lifehouse announced the title of its new album this week, which is called Almeria.
Last week’s debuts make bountiful moves. “Your Body” by Christina Aguilera zips up to #19, with Mika’s “Popular Song” immediately after, and Matt & Kim’s rollicking “Let’s Go” (official lyrics video below) bounding 30-22.
The two debuts this week are guaranteed to make your feet move. The renown BT has teamed up with young Russian DJ/producer Arty and the always marvelous Nadia Ali for “Must Be The Love” at #24. It’s a dandy hybrid of trance and house made even more conspicuous by Nadia’s signature voice, and resonates in the original 12″ version at the top of this page. Both BT and Nadia Ali are no strangers to my chart. Here are their respective chart histories:
BT
Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist), #1, 2003
Superfabulous (featuring Rose McGowan), #1, 2003
The Force Of Gravity (featuring JC Chasez), #3, 2003
Love Comes Again (with Tiesto), #5, 2004
Break My Fall (with Tiesto), #6, 2007
Suddenly (with Christian Burns), #6, 2010
The Emergency, #17, 2011
Nadia Ali and iio
Rapture (Tastes So Sweet) (iio), #3, 2002
At The End (iio), #2, 2003
Smooth (iio), #5, 2003
Is It Love (iio), #21, 2005
Love Story, #3, 2009
Believe It (with Spencer & Hill), #12, 2012
The remaining debut is “Good Girlfriend” by Danish producer/DJ Kid Massive featuring the one and only DATABOY at #25. This song takes a little time to catch on and will finally be available digitally in the coming two weeks. All kids of remixes abound with Alex Van Alff’s currently available as a free download. Do check out the video at the top of the blog. Not only does the song flow really well with the story, you get to see DATABOY’s Cameron and Adam performing (and you can match up the voices to the guys now ;).
It’s interesting that after the solo success of Cheryl Cole and the critical acclaim received by Nicola Roberts for her record that the English-Irish five have reunited for their 10th anniversary, with a new hits compilation called Ten on deck. But perhaps with some improvements to their vocals over the years along with some contemporary creativity, now is the time to reinvent Girls Aloud. And they’ve done just that with “Something New”, a plush-sounding house-influenced song (also, by the way, a charity single for Children In Need) that is pretty much irresistible, this coming from someone who has been hard to convince that these gals were more than just Spice Girls-lite. “Something New” puts all of those thoughts aside and North American attention should be more than forthcoming this time around. Kudos to the gals and their team for going big, hard and international this time!
ROGUE, “Girls Anthem”
You take a look at Girls Aloud nouvelles and then see another UK foursome called Rogue knocking on the same door, and you wonder what Rogue might sound like in 10 years. “Girls Anthem” is a great start because it comes on huge from the get-go, both with sound, vocals, and personality. And that’s pretty critical when this gal-pop sound can sound so similar from group to group. Watch below and be convinced.
MATTHEW KOMA, “Parachute”
In the guy-pop department, New York’s Matthew Koma has it made in spades. Outside of a number of Swedish male vocalists, Matthew is the go-to-guy for a captivating featured vocal on electronic dance songs like Zedd’s massive “Spectrum”, Fedde LeGrand’s “Sparks”, and Alesso’s “Years”. But that’s not enough, because aside from these rich productions, the music of Matthew Koma is rooted in pop, and “Parachute” is Major Pop 2012, a fantastic Fall love song that should be all over radio in the coming months. You can also get another delight as a free downloadfrom Matthew’s website called “Neon Red” when you subscribe to his mailing list. This is one singer headed for superstardom.
PIP, “Who Cares”
I’m quite convinced that while the TV show “The Voice” is a great showcase for new voices, too many singers get sabotaged by song choices that don’t focus on their real vocal appeal. I’m interested to see how this affects this season’s crew, but last year fine singers like Brian Fuente, Jamar Rogers, and Pip among others did not go perhaps as far as they should have. Pip (aka 20 year old Phillip Andrew Arnold from Georgia), he of the trademark white suspenders, bowtie, and sneakers, arrives with a soulful and punchy song with a smart lyrical video called “Who Cares”. It’s a real ear-opener for those who enjoyed his performances on “The Voice”, and perhaps the untied bowtie is a sign of some great and unexpected flavour to come.
LAWSON, “Standing In The Dark”
In these days of global accessibility to music, I just don’t understand the barriers with releasing music, at least in the western part of the hemisphere. So this week we see the long-awaited UK release of the album Chapman Square by UK quartet Lawson, who have already had significant success in the UK with “When She Was Mine” and “Taking Over Me”. But despite opening for The Wanted on some US dates earlier this year, Chapman Square does not appear slated for North American release. And while the band deserves high UK chart debuts, they don’t deserve the quick vanishing acts from the charts that might characterize them with an overly loyal fanbase like other UK acts such as McFly and Busted. “Standing In The Dark” is another refreshing slice of pop that shows that Lawson is a tight unit with a great way with words, and whose music has broad appeal, more like Graffiti6 or Lifehouse for example. Watch the video below.
GENTLEMEN HALL, “Golden Age”
Since catching Gentlemen Hall in concert earlier this year, they have become one of my most-played bands with their diverse harmonies, thoughtful lyrics, and astute musicianship. “Golden Age”, now available to hear on Soundcloud, joins“Makes Me Feel Alive” in whetting your appetite for the Boston sextet’s next release. This one has progressive rock trappings mixed with electronic pop, with lots of room for a flute solo/breakdown midway – a kind of out-of-nowhere mix of styles that truly draws you in and keeps you listening. Listen below and keep your eyes on their Soundcloud page for more new songs. This song will be large and in charge in live performance.
ALPHABEAT, “Love Sea”
Danish electronic collective Alphabeat have been finding many fans since 2007, but to me their music seems to be coming into its own at last with the release of “Love Sea”, from their forthcoming third album Express Non-Stop. It’s a precious blast of happy pop to brighten up your Autumn, boosted by an entertaining travelogue of a video featuring many of my favourite places that I’ve visited over the years. “Love Sea” is also availablefor free downloadin various remixes by the likes of FrankMusik, Android Orchestra (a sunny “tropical” mix), and Sound Of Arrows, who tackle the songs in some quite unanticipated interpretations. Overall this is splendid pop deserving of international success.
TAO HYPAH, “Play The Girl”
Raj atEQMusic Bloghas unmistakeable great taste in music and has been touting Amsterdam-based singer Tao Hypah for some time now. After appearing on the essential This Beat Is…Poptronik Volume One compilation earlier this year with “Celeb” (which got to #3 on my chart), Tao Hypah is back with the highly provocative “Play The Girl”. And it’s not just the gender-bending lyrics which will grab your attention. The well-directed video below with all of its colours, style and choreography, along with the melody which has a positively massive hook, leave “Play The Girl” embedded in your head so that multiple viewings and listens are required. In some ways it reminds me of Kyle Brylin’s equally suggestive “Everything I’m Missing” from last year – no matter what your personal preferences, you can’t help but listen and watch. This is a great showcase for the talented Tao Hypah – can’t wait for more!
RUBY ROSE featuring GARY GO, “Guilty Pleasure” (Young Skeeter remix)
Australian VJ, model and singer Ruby Rose is in the process of recording her debut album, and our introduction to it is “Guilty Pleasure”, featuring versatile UK singer Gary Go, he of 2009’s gorgeous “Wonderful” and last year’s Grammy-winning Benny Benassi collabo “Cinema”. Their voices create a lovely bit of vocal foreplay here before the song bursts wide open into spun-out dancefloor bliss. Listen below and play loud.
While the rest of my personal chart is stunted with pent-up activity from songs on the rise, the songs at the top of the chart pretty much stay intact. So that means we have the very talented Chris Wallace gracing #1 for a fourth time with “Remember When (Push Rewind)”, and you can watch for another song from the Push Rewind album to debut in these parts in two weeks.
Zedd has been on Lady GaGa’s lips a lot lately, if you happened to miss the “High Princess/Stache” mashup on the weekend (it’s below). So featuring Matthew Koma’s dulcet boyish tones, the German producer claims #2 with “Spectrum”, which looks to succeed “Remember When” at the top.
“Go For Gold” holds steady at #3 for Kyle Patrick, while “Dreams Are Gold” by DATABOY (#4) continues to hang in the Top 5 – where it has been for all of its appearances but one (it debuted at #8) – while the loveable “Genius” continues to rise at #8. “Houdini” by Foster The People holds tight at #5 with the free download of the Green Children remix, which is just cause for lots of random dancing.
There’s a long stretch of songs on hold or rising between #5 and #15, so I’ll touch on the bigger moves. “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega (below) moves 8-6, hovering just below the Top 5 in anticipation of a bigger move in two weeks – can it get to #1? I have been saying it since I first heard it – Hallowe’en dance parties, this is YOUR song!
Vaulting 12-7 is the emotional Swedish dance music that is currently so appealing by way of “Long Time” by John De Sohn featuring Andreas Moe. Another dance floor filler is Markus Riva’s “We Dance 4 Reason”, holding at #9. And then Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Can Happen” arrives at #10 just as her Halcyon album hits stores tomorrow in North America. Let’s get those remixes onto iTunes as well, shall we?
You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can clickright here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so
The fastest riser of the lot is “Feel It” by Bright Light Bright Light featuring Mykal Kilgore, which soars 18-11. Bright Light Bright Light has scored opening UK concert dates for Scissor Sisters, which I hope will translate into a second go round for the Sisters in North America. Their “Let’s Have A Kiki” is still on the pulse of dance clubs right now, and BLx2’s own mashup of it and “Feel It” (“Let’s Have A Feel”) continues to put a smile on my face, prompting me to want to lock the door and lower the blinds… Listen below.
While we do not have a video for Colin Munroe’s triumphant “Over It” (up 17-13), we do have one for previous Top 5 single “The Fight Of My Life” from his mixtape Unsung Hero, so give it a view below. There’s some intriguing imagery completely befitting of the song. Well done!
That smashing duo from the UK, Bim, currently has “Lights Out” climbing the chart, moving 19-14, but in preparation for their stunning Lifelines EP (now on pre-order on iTunes – you can read my initial thoughts on it right here), the pair have a new video on deck below for next single “Burn”, which remembers those fond days when we as children could be superheroes for just one day. There’s some pretty impressive graphic artistry, see the poster below as well.
“Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler climbs 21-17, but that captivating Stormby’s Drama mix of the song is now also featured on the compilation Kiss My Lipstick Off, now available on iTunes and featuring other fine folks like Liz Primo, Spray, and Nathalie Archangel. Last week’s debuts all get stuck together temporarily at songs #20-22, waiting for a gap in the chart to occur (likely in two weeks), so be sure to check out indie release “Evolved” by Vague-a-bonde (watch for the video soon but in the meantime listen to the song below), Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time”, and “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield (video also due soon).
You can watch the video for the lead debut on the chart (#24) at the top of this post. While I’ve enjoyed the music of Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello over the years in solo and various other projects, their Swedish House Mafia project never really got on my radar till this year. And apparently their album Until Now and sell out tour represent an end to the project. I never believe ‘never’ in the music business, but in the meantime we can all enjoy “Don’t You Worry Child”, once again featuring outstanding urgent and emotional vocals by another of Sweden’s go-to-guys, John Martin.
I’ve long appreciated the powerful and soulful voice of Christina Aguilera, though her songs have not always been consistent and therefore haven’t appeared in this chart until more recently. But every time a song has charted (this is the 7th time), it has reached my Top 10. We’ll see if that happens with the outrageous but fun “Your Body”, which bows at #25 with the accompanying entertaining video. It’s from her upcoming 5th studio set (excluding Latin, Christmas, and Best Of compilation) called Lotus.
I recently wrote about Mika’s The Origin Of Love album, which is a diverse collection that may take a few listens to grow on you. One aspect of the record that is very appealing is how it lets loose on a couple of the songs. So two songs debut on this chart, the quirky “Wicked” inspired “Popular Song” at #26, and then his duet with Pharrell Williams (himself no stranger to the chart, having appeared with Snoop Dogg on “Beautiful” and Robin Thicke on “Wanna Love U Girl”, as well as with his trio N.E.R.D. on the #1 “Rock Star” and “Hypnotize U”) on “Celebrate” at #29. These songs mark Mika’s 7th and 8th appearances, with his most successful being in 2009-10 when “Rain” got to #1 and “Blame It On The Girls” and “We Are Golden” reached #2 and #3 respectively. Watch the joyous video for “Celebrate” below.
And at #30 is “Let’s Go” by Matt & Kim, the lead single from their fourth album Lightning, which hit stores last week. I caught them in concert last week and will have my thoughts about that show and their album in the coming week. The duo have worked exceptionally hard to make all of their music accessible in various formats, and have created lyrics videos for each song on the new album. Watch the video for “Let’s Go” below – I’m sure we’ll be seeing and hearing more from Matt & Kim as their tour progresses. The Brooklyn, NY duo have previously reached the Top 5 on the chart with “Daylight” and “Block After Block”.
It seems like a long wait since 2009’s The Boy Who Knew Too Much, but Mika’s third album The Origin Of Love arrived this month. While the album on the whole is sturdy and entertaining, it’s taken a while for me to warm up to it. Where past albums have focused mainly on danceable electronica/pop, with some variation, The Origin Of Love switches it around, putting diverse musical styles first over commercial content. That may make it seem like a transitional album for Mika, but I’ve got to admire his confidence for assembling such a varied amount of songs.
The album starts with the title song, which is a big production number, but doesn’t stick with that style and proceeds directly to pure pop in the form of “Lola”, “Stardust”, and the warm-hearted (if synthetic-sounding) “Make You Happy”. I tend to like the songs where Mika clearly speaks his mind, such as “Overrated” and “Love You When I’m Drunk” over some of the other electronic pop-oriented songs like “Underwater” and “Kids”. The album gets better with the creativity of “Popular Song” (based on “Popular” from the play “Wicked”) and his most welcome English remake of his French language smash “Elle me dit”, here reinvented as “Emily”. That song could become a hit all over again in the English market. “Heroes” gets softer and more thoughtful, and the album wraps up with the joyous “Celebrate”, the first single with Pharrell Williams, which is still gradually growing on me and has a video (watch below) which in some ways reminds me of the abandon of 2009’s “We Are Golden”.
Overall, The Origin Of Love is a triumph of content over style and performance. There aren’t as many vocal gymnastics from Mika on his last record but I think if there were, they would take away from the essence of the songs. Give The Origin Of Love some good solid listens and I think you’ll be pleased, and the songs should certainly translate well into live performance.
Adam Tyler, Acoustic Ice (EP)
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that Adam Tyler has continued to win me over since his debut single “Friction” in 2010. Not only does he have the songwriting chops and the team behind him to make things happen, which has resulted in him playing all over the USA, Japan, Ireland, England, and Spain (but not Canada…. hmm… yet), but he’s also got a voice that has grown over the past few years. We got a taste of Adam’s talent in videos of “Torn” and “Turning Tables” (below), plus stripped down versions of “I Won’t Let You Go” and “Emergency” on his Shattered Ice album of last year.
So it’s only logical that you should invest in Acoustic Ice, an EP of additional bare-sounding versions of some of the best songs from Shattered Ice. “Like A Drug”, “Pull The Trigger”, and “Music Freak” have all graced the Top 10 of my personal chart, and the blood and guts of these songs come out when less is more in terms of production. The other songs are the title track, “Let Me Breathe”, and “Taking Back My Love”, the latter like “Pull The Trigger” a much more pointed rendition depicting an end of a relationship. Overall, Shattered Ice is a great way to showcase the vocal talent which some of you have seen in concert, and is a sweet segue into a new slew of songs.
Acoustic Ice is available for purchase fromAdam’s websiteand all proceeds go to the Raise The Roof Kenya foundation. Great music for a great cause.
Bim, Lifelines (upcoming EP)
I’ve had the pleasure of hearing the Lifelines EP well in advance of its November 5 release, and my reaction was instant. In time I think this latest effort from UK duo Rebecca Rosier and Denmark Davis will become a favourite of mine this year. As with earlier single “Scream” and lead off single to the EP “Lights Out” (video below), every song within Lifelines is full of intense emotion, powerful vocal interaction, and key lyrical moments that resonate long after the song is over… “you can have my heart, if I can keep my soul” from next single “Burn”, “I will make you see ….. stars” from “Lights Out”, “I’m scared to death that you’ll try to forget” from “Untouchable” – powerful, urgent stuff. So with that taste for you, I’ll be reminding you about Lifelines closer to its release. This EP precedes a full album of the same name due in early 2013.
Andy Suzuki & The Method, “Fairytale”
As this trio from New York City wraps up a Malaysian tour in Brunei of all places, you can get to know their infectious hybrid jazz/rock courtesy of the free download(with email subscription) of “Fairytale” from their website. The song also appears on their recent EP Ghost Stories and has that kind of vibrant, piano-led melody that will turn heads. Andy Suzuki & The Method have been garnering praise throughout the last few years with awards coming from their local city. When they return from Brunei, they will be touring various cities in the U.S. Get a taste of a live performance of “Fairytale” below.
The Aquaducks, “Fuel The Funk”
Do not – do not – let the name fool you! I love humour mixed with music, and The Aquaducks look like they have that in band name and pic below. So until we have some pics to show all their faces, take one look at the video below for “Fuel The Funk”, and you’ll see that this Nashville septet is seriously full of many talents that offer not only pop/rock but jazz, R&B, and reggae stylings in their mix. And those voices will silence even the most inattentive crowd. You can download “Fuel The Funk” below and some other songs from Soundcloud that show how potentially dynamic The Aquaducks can be.
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