I have no commentary to add this week, so I’ll just let the bounty of music within this week’s Report speak for itself!! I’ll just mention that Toronto rock project Mobius Radio has both a featured song and a pick of the week by our own Big Daddy!
Among the features in the Report, you can check out my pick of the week, along with one from the host of online radio’s “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus “Modern Hype” online radio host Hunter Wilbur’s “Bop of the Week”. “The Musicman” James Rogers from online radio’s “3D Variety Show” has his Classic Five pop hits features well-remembered smashes from 1971. If you missed them, you’ll also find out what’s #1 this week on the BILLCS Top 30, and what song is the Fastest Riser on the chart.
The BILLCS New Music Report is a work-in-progress and I welcome your suggestions so feel free to contact me at through my social media links right here.
REMINDER: Click the photo above the artist’s name and song title to hear the song or watch the video.
SPOTLIGHTING
DARIN, “Satellit”
Sweden’s Darin continues to prove that the pop/dance direction set by his comeback English single “Can’t Stay Away” almost three years ago is engaging and vibrant with his recent Swedish-language original single “Satellit”. It seems only natural to choose to write a Swedish song in support of his arena tour in his home country, and language barrier or not, “Satellit” is another natural progression that follows up last year’s EP My Purple Clouds and its fantastic songs “Superstar” and “Satisfaction”, which reached #2 and #1 respectively on the BILLCS Top 30. I can’t get enough of this era of Darin, which has also attracted Italian dance music audiences who also embraced “Can’t Stay Away”. What I’m saying is that it doesn’t matter if “Satellit” is sung in Swedish – if you enjoyed his other recent English singles then you’ll find that “Satellit” continues to whet your palate for more pop/dance originals in this vein from Darin.
MARVEL RIOT, MOYA, “Want My Lovin'”
UK production duo Marvel Riot are going places if their impressive work on “Want My Lovin'” is any indication, and it’s no wonder Spinnin’ has released it. The song is actually based on Felix’s worldwide early 90’s smash “Don’t You Want Me” (which in turn was based on Jomanda’s 1990 release “Don’t You Want My Love”), and the classic Eurohouse synth hook used in this update is refreshing and will be a highlight requiring a lot of flashing lights in a club set. The addition of powerhouse vocalist MOYA to this release adds to the 90’s flavour but also gives it additional dimension, considering the vocals on the Jomanda version were quite different and the Felix version was largely an instrumental. I know you may be thinking that we don’t need yet another redux of a classic built around some new lyrics, but when they are this well done and not phoned in like some recent big hits, then you listen for the inspiration of the original(s) to help make the rest of the song work.
THE DISCO FRIES, REIGNS, “Another World”
Venerable dance music producers The Disco Fries have unleashed their third album, Another World, and as might be anticipated, it offers a bevy of songs with talented friends. Included are “Pieces”, the national #1 dance radio smash with VASSY and Bingo Players, as well as recent singles “Give Me Your Soul” (with Miami’s Eche Palante), “Alone At Midnight” (with Kastra and Britt Lari) and “Love You Loud” (with Ferry Corsten and Leon Stanford). Among the new songs, which feature such fine performers as Canada’s Danyka Nadeau, LODATO, and Sarah de Warren, we have the title song sung brilliantly by Reigns, who has recorded with The Disco Fries before as well as other notables like Breathe Carolina and Carl Cox. It’s a rich production with a sweeping vocal and some techno inspiration that serves as a deeper album track that’s ideal for late night club play.
FEATURING
HYRA, MICHAEL MEDRANO, “Air U Breathe”
“Air U Breathe” is a collaboration between Nicaragua-born, Miami-raised singer Hyra and resident L.A. disco dad Michael Medrano, who has appeared a number of times in these blog pages. I’m so glad this is a duet because the vocal chemistry between Hyra and Michael works tremendously well. We’ve heard this kind of story a number of other times before, so it was incumbent on the vocals to carry the song above and beyond and make it fresh again. “Air U Breathe” is a worthwhile extension to Michael’s dance releases for his fans, and Hyra is a top notch talent to keep on your radar.
MOBIUS RADIO, “Blink of An Eye”
While the self-titled eight-song album is now available for you to explore in more detail the concept of Mobius Radio as a pirate radio station, I’m providing you with a third installment that shows the progressive nature of this project shaped by Toronto singer/guitarist Dylan Hennessy with input and interludes from the recognizable voice of Canadian announcer Jeff Woods. “Blink of an Eye” to me is the centerpiece of the album, a seven minute epic that features blistering guitar playing, the kind of song that transports listeners back to the rebellious times of the early 1970’s, when FM rock radio was starting to take shape as an alternative to the repetition of Top 40 hits of the day. Think early Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Who, Peter Frampton, Faces, and Jeff Beck, all of whom played key roles in the transformation of rock music. “Blink of an Eye” musically salutes these legends while recognizing in its lyrics when you need to savour the moment before it’s gone too quickly.
CAT JANICE, “Who do you think you are”
“Who do you think you are” is my choice for an introduction to West Virginia-born pop singer/songwriter and violinist Cat Janice, with the release of her debut album, Modern Medicine. And while the album title serves as a conduit for change and healing, particularly after she continues to battle cancer herself, the songs are anything but downbeat. “Who do you think you are” is quirky and spoken-sung, about that unique time when you feel unbridled joy and happiness and think you might be falling in love. The lyrics and mood of the song give us some insight into glorious highs that Cat Janice has faced while facing cancer as well as other low points that a lot of people go through at some point. While we hope of course that Cat Janice wins her cancer battle, let’s admire her concerted ability to create during this time and make the positive songs of Modern Medicine available to alternative music fans.
BENJAMIN RUSSELL, “Do Not Forsake Me (Ballad of “High Noon”)”
Diving deeper into Benjamin Russell’s recent album Frontier, the Montreal-based self-described electro-folk singer/songwriter tackles a pre-rock era classic, the theme from the Gary Cooper film “High Noon”, “Do Not Forsake Me”, originally sung by Tex Ritter. And Benjamin’s version is quite faithful to the original, once again with a minimalistic contemporary arrangement but with perhaps a more forthright vocal, especially given that the woman in the song wants to abandon the singer on their wedding day – time to win her back! It’s a curious choice to update in these times but it works quite well on its own merits and of course in the context of the theme of the Frontier album.
JAMES GREBB, “Paradox”
Denver-based electronic dance producer James Grebb scores with the trance-flavoured deep house of “Paradox”. The pulsating beats and a sultry uncredited female vocalist are the stars of this atmospheric track. “Paradox” has a lot going on inside, and you’ll find that the song’s three minutes are over before you really get to know it, which instantly prompts repeated plays. It’s a smart, well-produced track that could add substance to any deep house set.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs more than 30 times/week on online radio stations around the world.
MAX is back and he’s got JVKE and Bazzi with him on his romantic new track “Strings”
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S PICK OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program and owner of online stations Radio GTA, Halton Hills Radio Online, & FM108.ca. You can hear my Retro Pick of the Week every week on the “Top 40 Timeline”!
It’s “Can We All” by Toronto’s Mobius Radio
HUNTER J. WILBUR’S BOP OF THE WEEK
Hunter J. Wilbur is the host of the online radio shows “Modern Hype” and “Addictive Energy” which can be heard on several online stations including Classic Hits Canada.
“Crystal Clear” by Virginia-born electronic producer Aaron Shirk and British vocalist Isaac Warburton
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show heard Tuesdays on Planet Radio Canada. The Classic Five is “pop music 101” of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song, with the exception of “Want Ads”, which is not available on Spotify and for which I have a You Tube link.
Tommy James – Draggin’ The Line
Raiders -Indian Reservation
Osmonds – One Bad Apple
Honey Cone – Want Ads
Bee Gees – How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
BILLCS Top 30 #1 SONG
Conan Gray nabs his 2nd #1 on the chart with “Never Ending Song”
BILLCS Top 30 FASTEST RISER
A song I continue to hear everywhere I go, it’s “Rush” by Troye Sivan (19-10)
BILLCSMUSIC BLOG 
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