This past Fall, Australian quintet Moonwood – actually a group comprising members from Australia, the USA and Canada – caught my attention with their edgy rock ballad “Slow Down”. “Sydney Lights” takes a few steps away from “Slow Down” and shows off the versatility of the group that once again throws a huge spotlight on talented singer Jake, holding down tightly the song’s almost five minute length. “Sydney Lights” is about Jake’s relocation to Australia from the USA and finding a growing appreciation for his new surroundings. But the song can be taken even in broader strokes, with a melody that would generate amazement and wonder under the bright lights in any big city. The guys in Moonwood no doubt know their U2 and Coldplay well, but “Sydney Lights” glistens with a lot of subtleties which convince the listener in the end that they shine at what they do, leaving the door wide open for what’s to follow.
In these days when the music scene is saturated with truly awful cover versions, it’s refreshing to find new talent that decides to do their own take on a popular song. Meet 20 year old York, England singer Lucy Eliza, whose debut single is a cover of the Billie Eilish theme for the James Bond movie “No Time To Die”. While the movie finally made it to theatres this year, the song was released in February 2020, promptly debuting at #1 in the UK, achieving Top 10 status in most of the world, #16 on the Billboard Top 100, and a Grammy for best song in a visual medium. That’s an incredibly hard act to follow, so the wise thing to do is to avoid competing with it. Lucy Eliza’s rendition of “No Time To Die” is a pure pop spin with a vocal that recalls Katy Perry or Ellie Goulding, and has a backdrop of ear-catching synth effects. And what could be a questionable idea for a debut release actually works surprisingly well because of its integrity in staying in its own indie lane. Lucy Eliza’s vocal captures a similar emotion to Billie’s without honing in on her now-trademark goth-meets-emo style. So yes, “No Time To Die” by Lucy Eliza is certainly worth your attention and we’ll see where she heads next.
I fully admit I don’t listen to commercial radio anymore. Radio lost my interest years ago when it steered away from being a discovery place for new music for me. And now it is proving even more that it’s way more about the profit and less about the music. Radio missed its opportunity recently to make “Easy On Me” by Adele or her follow up “Oh My God” or “Cold Heart” (Pnau remix) by Elton John & Dua Lipa event records. Radio could have used its still significant platform to dazzle audiences again by getting behind three songs that are very good for any pop radio format. Instead, it treated the Adele songs just like any release by a major perform, and Top 40 radio in particular has been reluctant to play an Elton John record because he is outside of their under 40 demographic. So until radio can prove to me again that it is interested in music again, I will do without.
Make sure you read about myONLINE RADIO AFFILIATES(see details after the post) – all kinds of online radio announcing projects now keeping me busy!
Obtaining his second #1 of 2021 is Sweden’s Darin with the beautiful ballad “Holding Me More”, an ideal song to cuddle up with during the winter months. This and previous #1 “Can’t Stay Away” are big comeback songs for Darin, whose last English-language release was in 2013. Both mark complete shifts in direction after many years of success in Sweden, and I’m just loving it! It’s also the 14th #1 song of 2021 on my chart, the most in any year since I began the chart in 1998.
One song that is a unique change of pace for pop/dance music this year is “To The Top” by German producers Natixx and Lyonbrotherz with vocalist/songwriter Robbie Rosen, which climbs 5-3. The contrast between such deep rich bass synths and a medieval sounding flute creates an interesting effect in this anthem that will have you cheering in your own way.
“Play It Cool” by UK/Irish duo Menrva and vocalist Island Banks rises 11-8 with its slick, infectious beats and a Craig David-ish vocal that matches its title quite aptly!
The other new entry to the Top 10 is the second for Vancouver’s Young Bombs, following last year’s #3 “Better Day” (with Aloe Blacc), called “Summer In Brooklyn” (with Jordy, above), moving up 12-10. You can also check out Young Bombs latest single with Stondon Massey called “U Up?”, below.
Heading for the Top 10 are two bona fide dance radio hits. Karen Harding’s “You & I (All I Need)” (above), from her EP Sweet Vibrations, climbs 14-11, while the independent release “Unbreakable” by L.A. trio TELYKast and Nashville vocalist Sam Gray (below) soars 17-12.
The haunting single “sicc” by Georgia-based alt.electronic singer/songwriter stef continues to flourish, rising 18-14.
Ballads are not often seen on my chart, but besides Darin’s #1, we’ve got Brandyn Burnette and Charlotte Sands serenading us in the gorgeous “Everything”, which moves up 19-15.
The last chart’s Highest Debut is this chart’s Fastest Riser as “Out Of The Dark”, a song glowing with positive vibes, leaps 25-18 for Austin duo Tritonal and vocalist EMME in a Morgin Madison remix.
In fact all of the last chart’s debuts are making their marks on the chart, each rising 6 points. “Float” (above) by Jay Bird, TWSTD ZOO and Harley Bird rises 26-20, while the astute pairing of The Knocks and singer/songwriter Parson James allows “River” (below) to rise 28-22, and Michael Medrano’s telling but fun “i don’t wanna talk about love” (also below) moves up 29-23.
The Highest Debut at #26 belongs to Years & Years in collaboration with Swedish production duo Galantis with the smashing retrotastic arpeggios of “Sweet Talker” from the upcoming Years & Years album Night Call. It’s the 9th chart entry for Years & Years (now simply an Olly Alexander project), which has included #1’s with “King” and “Shine”, and it’s the first one in two years, despite some good releases in-between that were also collaborations – the cover of Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s A Sin” with Elton John, and “Starstruck” and “Second To Midnight”, both with Kylie Minogue. It’s also Galantis’ second entry following their hit “Faith” (with Dolly Parton and Mr. Probz) which reached #5 in 2019. Watch Olly perform the song in his recent appearance on “BBC Strictly Come Dancing” above.
Next at #27 is “Pretty” by Toronto’s Scott Helman, which is his first chart entry. I saw Scott perform in concert a number of years ago and he is an engaging performer full of stories. I like the, good-naturedness, softer edges and gender neutrality of “Pretty”, reminding me somewhat of some of Conan Gray’s releases, and a lot of young folks will relate to this one.
And at #28 is the aforementioned Kylie Minogue, with her 10th chart entry and first since 2015 with “Kiss Of Life”, in which she is partnered with Jessie Ware on what is her 11th chart entry. “Kiss Of Life” is a not quite over-the-top dance floor filler that appears on the “Guest List Edition” version of Kylie’s album titled Disco. It’s a whole lotta fun, so dig out your dancing shoes for it!
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! You can also follow me on Spotify at the following link: BILLCS Top 30 Songs.
Radio GTA– listen to The Big 20 from 10pm to Midnight EST as “The Musicman” James Rogers and I bring you the latest in new songs mixed with classics and songs you haven’t heard in a while. And on Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 6pm I bring you “Your Weekend New Music Mix” six hours of commercial-free music from the 2000’s including many song choices from this blog.
Halton Hills Online– “Your Weekend Music Mix” has a second home on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 8pm to Midnight! It’s a different mix from Radio GTA’s show, and like that one it is also commercial free, proudly brought to you by Symposium Cafe Restaurant & Lounge in Georgetown, Ontario!
Planet Radio Canada (currently on hiatus until January)– I’m featured Tuesdays between 7 and 7:30 pm with my New Music Pick of the Week on the “3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past through some live segments.
My New Music Pick of the Week also now airs on Radio GTA Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm EST, and on Halton Hills Online on Saturdays and Sundays at 10pm EST!
If you Google Laikipia, you’ll find that it is the name of a county in Kenya. I don’t know if that’s related with the same-named UK-American duo that is Xander Rawlins and Taylor Harrison, but it could be part of the “sonic universe” connection that we all have in their world of music. When a former platoon commander in Afghanistan meets up with a sci-fi loving musician, you know there are plenty of stories to tell. “The Hits Keep Coming”, from their new album All Hail Hyperion, is an ear-grabbing rocker that doesn’t beat around the bush – life is full of ups and downs, and you may feel that you keep getting hit with the downs more than others. So we work through them all and celebrate the good times. Although Laikipia’s sound isn’t as grand as Imagine Dragons, “Hits” is equally as spirited as some of their best songs, while it also seems to take cues from classic working class heroes as Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, and Tom Petty, without necessarily being wrapped up in what I would call Americana themes. “The Hits Keep Coming” is a solid introduction to Laikipia, who have also been well-reviewed for live performances mainly in the L.A. area.
With an imaginative title like “Golden Retriever Boy”, one has only to imagine what L.A.’s KiNG MALA (which means “bad bitch” in Spanish) is going to sing about it. Her music has been featured in this blog before, and she’s a confident alt.rock singer who is definitely in her own lane. At the root of “Golden Retriever Boy” is betrayal by several different kinds of guys. There’s the sweet guy with a side that doesn’t come out till later, and then there are the fuck boys, and the song is a huge kiss-off to both kinds of guys. I’d argue that the same could be said about similar women, too. KiNG MALA’s impressive vocal and the provocative flow of the song are immediate draws, which are also captured in its intriguing video above. And, the song drops a great lyric for me: “I read your zodiac / You’re an Aries and that’s fucking scary”, since we Geminis are drawn to Aries like bees to honey, but often pay the price…
18 year-old Bedfordshire, England native Alfie Templeman is someone who is poised to break out in 2022 thanks to well-received concerts in his country and heavy endorsement by BBC Radio. He’s been making records since he was 15 and “3D Feelings” follows up a couple of EP’s, Forever Isn’t Long Enough and Don’t Go Wasting Time. Alfie’s got a great ear for writing catchy pop songs, which is what attracted me to his music from when I first heard it two years ago. A zesty melody and clever guitar work support his versatile vocal in this song, which at times reminds me of Shawn Mendes. Deft production and a well-placed hook make “3D Feelings” memorable and can only add to Alfie’s growing worldwide fan base.
Alfie plays a sold out show at The Velvet Underground in Toronto on November 26 with Chloe Moriondo.
Hailing from the Boston area, Tall Heights is the rising pop-rock-electronic duo of Paul Wright and Tim Harrington, who are about to release their fourth album Juniors in the new year. From that release comes “Locked Out”, an imaginative, dreamy original that has roots in Coldplay but often sounds more like it could have come from the same stable as Australia’s The Temper Trap or even Rufus Du Sol. Carried by a falsetto vocal, the song stands outside-looking-in at a relationship that the protagonist would like to have, if he could coax the object of his affection out of her own world and into his. The lyrics take some time to soak in while you get caught up in the atmospheric vibe of the song. With just shy of a million listeners on Spotify and songs like “Locked Out”, Tall Heights could be a talent to watch out for in ’22.
Back at the end of summer, I introduced you to Polish singer Helaine Vis and her single “Ice”, a moody, jazzy track about heartache. Continuing in that theme is “Go On”, which, like “Ice”, is a stand out from her new album Pretty Cliché. “Go On” mixes in electronics with electric guitars for a Cocteau Twins-meets-Lily Allen kind of sonic experience. Lyrically, “Go On” seems to want to avoid heartache all together through indecision by dissolving a relationship before it ever gets a chance to grow. It’s a longer than usual track that takes its time getting to its resolve, leaving the progressive backdrop to carry on long after the singing stops. It’s not for everyone but “Go On” leaves you wanting to know more. Helaine’s vocal is suitably slight and hollow-sounding, and she succeeds in creating a compelling, unusual song.
Cobi has long been a talent on my radar, since his days in the fondly remembered pop/rock ensemble Gentlemen Hall. He’s been solo though for several years, and his songs have been anchored often by bluesy rock arrangements. The west coast-based singer/songwriter debuted his new album Songs From The Ashes last week on You Tube, and I was happy to watch the intimate performance as the affable and humble Cobi shouted out long time fans who were watching him weave through the impressive songs from the album. One of my favourites, “You’re Mine”, was a previous single, as were fan favourites “Everything You Need” and “Queen Of The Damned”. “Fools Gold” is the opening track, a new song that painstakingly recalls a manipulative relationship that made the protagonist a paranoid “merchant of of pain on the road” believing that “your love is an illusion”, pushing it away from an irreparable broken heart. “Fools Gold” unleashes the emotions buried deep under long-healed scars, and Cobi’s guitar work is nothing short of fantastic, seething the pain while Cobi sings his story. Once you hear “Fools Gold” you’ll want to hear all of what Cobi has to offer in Songs From The Ashes. In addition to the studio version above, you can also check out Cobi’s recent acoustic performance of “Fools Gold” below.
Terry Draper has had a storied career as drummer and songwriter for the much-revered Canadian trio Klaatu (“Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft”, also a Top 20 hit for The Carpenters, which I remember seeing Terry perform acoustically at a local show about 10 years ago), and they were at one time was speculated to be a reunited Beatles. The group recorded several highly praised albums and Terry has consistently made music as a solo artist over the years. His latest album is “The Other Side”, full of imaginative and well-produced songs, among the 13 a surprising calypso/reggae-tinged tune called “Island Time” which features another long-time and still active Canadian singer, Keith Hampshire (who had a #1 Canadian hit with his version of “The First Cut Is The Deepest”). “Are We Alone” however is the standout, a dreamy, retrotastic, wondrous song about space travel. “Are We Alone” will appeal to those who enjoy the music of The Beatles, Alan Parsons, Al Stewart, or early Chris de Burgh. It might seem like an anomaly of sorts but Terry’s fresh and enthusiastic spin on the subject (check out its cool video, above) makes it a refreshing five minutes that goes by quickly.
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