Simon Curtis – Page 8 – BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

8-bit Hit! – Tuned-On! Top 30 #326 – May 10/10

EDIT: Just in – A lovely acapella rendition of “8-bit Heart” with video shot by Tyler Shields, who did Simon’s wonderful photos. This will literally send shivers down your back.

“Beat Drop” live at the Roxy!

This edition of my personal chart of course coincides with the aftermath of Simon Curtis’ debut solo performance at The Roxy in Los Angeles on Thursday May 6. Our Boy Robot continues to reign the chart with “Beat Drop” (with video from the show up top) along with “Joystick” at #3. But Simon adds to his chart victory with the title track from his mixtape 8-bit Heart debuting this week at #21. Despite the high energy performance at the Roxy – and you can see the rest of the show in segments at http://www.simondaily.com – I thought Simon’s performance of “8-bit Heart” to be particularly effective (it’s at the bottom of this blog). Remember folks, this is ONLY the beginning, it’s a showcase performance to show what he can do, and that, by jove, is entertain!! So let’s see Simon on TV soon – maybe late night shows – so that he can show off his voice and talent, and reach out to a wider audience.

Penguin Prison (aka Chris Glover), like Simon, now has two songs in my Top 5. “The Worse It Gets” replaces “Something I’m Not” at #2 – and it’s such a great song for a spring or summer drive! Javi’s engaging Monsieur Adi remix of “Situation” climbs to #4, while Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins” and Florida-based Clayton Senne each climb into the Top 10. Our 2010 piano man has been playing some smaller towns in Florida and appears on The Daily Buzz on May 28! Check out his MySpace page.

All of last week’s debut fare well in their sophomore chart. Kelis’ “Acapella” may just be my new theme song for 2010 as it climbs 21-12. Mike Posner, like Simon Curtis, started out in mixtape land, and has now signed with J/RCA, who have him touring this summer. The Gigamesh mix of “Cooler Than Me” jumps 24-16 as the song is about to enter the national Top 40! “Not Myself Tonight”, one of Christina Aguilera’s more intense dance songs, is right behind at #17. And the quiet late night dance floor power of Fabio Lendrum’s “Trouble” lands at #20.

Our other debuts this week include a second round from Justin Nozuka’s You I Wind Land And Sea, a lilting and beautiful song called “Unwoken Dream (King With Everything)”, arrives at #24. There’s also riveting pop/dance from Australia’s The Gossip in the form of “Pop Goes The World”, and lastly a belated debut of Ryan Star’s “Breathe”. One of my 10 Performers to Watch in 2010, Ryan Star’s ticket looks like it’s arrived with “Breathe” as he continues to tour around the U.S. Check out his always active website.

Tuned-On! Top 30 #325 – April 26/10

The top of my personal chart essentially remains the same in this edition, with Simon Curtis occupying #1 for the third straight chart with the magnificent “Beat Drop”, as well as holding at #3 with the playful “Joystick”, with Penguin Prison’s ambitious-sounding “Something I’m Not” in the runner up slot for a third appearance. Blake Lewis once again hangs at #4 with the beautiful Billboard Club Play Chart #1 “Heartbreak On Vinyl”, while New York singer Javi rises up to #5 with “Situation” (which is an original tune, not a cover of the 1982 Yazoo hit).

Usually when the top of the chart is under control, things begin to quake down below. So current faves by Evan Taubenfeld (whose long awaited Welcome To The Black List Club drops May 18!) and Justin Nozuka rise within the Top 10, while others by Example, Penguin Prison, and BT join them. Check out the live clip of Penguin Prison (aka Chris Glover) performing “The Worse It Gets” in NYC below, as well as the cover art for BT’s emotional electro explosion “Suddenly”, which has taken its time getting to the Top 10 (6 charts).

The middle of the chart is bursting with action with rock songs by Vampire Weekend, Lifehouse, and Clayton Senne looking like they are Top 10 bound. The fastest riser on the chart is “Kick Ass” by Mika vs Red One, which climbs 28-18.

Spring Popervescence is the expression I’m using to categories the four newcomers to the chart about whom I’ve already blogged about recently. Be sure to check out these songs by Kelis, Mike Posner, Christina Aguilera (which despite a lot of naysayers is just fine, thank you), and UK singer/producer Fabio Lendrum. Free download links to the Posner and Lendrum tracks are available in my chart…

Speaking of which… you can link to the chart right here or use the link in the right side bar under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART***.

Boy Robot News: Simon Curtis on Twitter and More Plans!

I haven’t written about our beloved Boy Robot for a few weeks because Big Plans Have Been in the Making.

To celebrate his upcoming May 6 gig at The Roxy in Los Angeles opening up for A.J. McLean of Backstreet Boys, Simon Curtis reported the following ambitious plan on Twitter tonight:

Here’s how it will work; starting Monday, GagaNews will announce via Twitter the time, & then we are gonna shoot for a Trending Topic (#SimonCurtis10Days, #SimonCurtis9Days, etc) counting down until the show. Each day we successfully hit the TT’s, GagaNews and JJJ [Just Jared Jr.] will be unveiling exclusive videos letting you see the dances to all the songs as we prep them! On the final 2 days, I will be releasing the top-secret SHOW REMIXES of the songs for you guys to download, free, but only if we’ve hit the TT’s every day. I’m confident we can make this happen, and I cannot wait for you all to see the amazing show we are putting together for you guys!!! 😀 All my love —s

So if you’re part of Simon’s Robot Army, get busy starting tomorrow!

If you’re still new to the whole Simon experience, be sure to download his mixtape 8-bit Heart at http://www.simon-curtis.net – backtrack a bit on my blog and read my track-by-track viewpoint 🙂

Good luck Simon!

Tuned-On! Top 30 #324 – Apr 12/10

This new chart came upon me so quickly while I was in New Orleans over the past week, so there’s not too much change.

Simon Curtis continues to rule the roost with “Beat Drop” on top for a second chart, with “Joystick” climbing to #3, sandwiching Penguin Prison’s mighty “Something I’m Not” at #2. Simon’s 8-bit Heart is now at over 120K worldwide downloads. He’s opening for Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean in L.A. on May 6 at the Roxy, and is developing a video with Tyler Shields (who did the wonderful album cover art). Things seem to be falling nicely into place… I predict Simon will have a record deal very soon!

Blake Lewis’ beautiful “Heartbreak On Vinyl” will attain the #1 spot on Billboard’s Club Play chart this coming week, and it’s well deserved! The song moves up 6-4 on my chart this week. Evan Taubenfeld’s Welcome To The Blacklist Club will finally be available digitally in late May, and the effervescent “Starbucks Girl” moves up 10-8. Justin Nozuka’s You I Wind Land And Sea arrives this week, and the pensive “My Heart Is Yours” jumps 12-10. But the big mover on the chart this week is by New York singer Javi. The Monsieur Adi remix of “Situation” soars 16-6… the guy’s got a great voice and you can hear it in his live cover of Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” below!

So much great music is stuck slowly moving up the chart, so be sure to check out tracks by Example, BT, Vampire Weekend, Ellie Goulding, Massive Attack, Clayton Senne, and The Envy. Lifehouse’s “Had Enough”, featuring Chris Daughtry, looks like it’s well on its way, rising 27-21 this week.

I previously blogged about the second Penguin Prison song to enter this chart, The Worse It Gets”. The song debuts at #17 out of the gate, is well worth your attention.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the comic book-styled film “Kick Ass”. Mika and producer Red One have the title track which enters the chart at #28, and you can watch the engaging video below.

The Beat Drops – at #1: Tuned-On! Top 30 #323 – Mar 29/10

It’s time again for a Spring Shakeup on the latest edition of my personal chart (the link is also on the right sidebar). And there’s no better way for this to happen than to see a song debut at #1 for the first time since the chart of December 10, 2007, when “How To Build A Time Machine” by Darren Hayes began the first of 5 charts (10 weeks) at the top. With the free download release this week of Simon Curtis’ 8-bit Heart, the rollicking electro-dance of “Beat Drop” commands the chart this week – you can hear it in the link at the top of the page. It’s my next favourite song on 8-bit to former #1 “Delusional”, which leaves the chart after the maximum 10 chart run.

But there’s more Simon on this chart! Since the Top 30 is by no means conventional, there are no limits to the songs that can appear, and so the naughty parallel to our friend, the video game, “Joystick” makes a huge splash, debuting at #4. You can hear the song using the link at the bottom of this page.

All of this 8-bit madness unfortunately leaves Penguin Prison’s “Something I’m Not”, another free download, moving from 6-2, and I’m not sure if it will wrestle away #1 from “Beat Drop”. After all, “Beat Drop” did knock off Lady GaGa’s “Teeth” after a 2 week stay at the summit.

Nelson Clemente’s clever and quiet electro of “90 Days” manages to reach a new peak at #5, while Blake Lewis’ ode to old-style record stores, “Heartbreak On Vinyl”, climbs to #6. Songs by Jason Derulo, Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris (the definitive version of “Hallelujah” next to Jeff Buckley’s IMO), and Evan Taubenfeld charge into the Top 10. The five debuts in the Top 10 cause massive drops by songs by Lady GaGa, Dragonette, Crystal Method, and Lifehouse, but them’s the breaks!

The fastest riser on the chart belongs to Justin Nozuka, whose “My Heart Is Yours” comes from his sophomore CD You I Wind Land and Sea, which is due for release this coming week. Other big movers in the middle of the chart include Javi’s “Situation” (23-16), a pop/dance track also available for free download that commands your attention, and Vampire Weekend’s brief but insanely catchy “Cousins” (26-20).

As “Halfway Gone” by Lifehouse is about to leave the chart, “Had Enough”, featuring Chris Daughtry, premieres at #27 from the top notch Smoke And Mirrors CD, which you will read about later in the week in more detail in this blog. Thanks to the excellent and frenetic remix by Breakage, “Dog Days Are Over”, a track from Lungs by Florence & The Machine, arrives at #30. But if there’s one low key track you must check out this week, it should be “Don’t You Dare” by Matt Morris, which is a bonus song on his debut When Everything Breaks Loose, probably because it doesn’t really fit into the rest of the mood of the album. This is a much more lushly produced, theatrical song that you might play next to earlier work by Rufus Wainwright. You can download it for free right here! (Note: I don’t link to free downloads unless they are sanctioned by the artist 🙂 )

I will be away in New Orleans during the first full week of April, so a post of my next chart may be delayed (but I’m sure I’ll be armed with all kinds of great music!).

Track-By-Track (At Last!): 8-bit Heart by Simon Curtis

Boy is the Pop world ever in for a treat.

In these times of spectacular (no pun intended 😉 ) successes for young women, the role of the young male pop singer has been relegated to (pick your pleasure) anonymous dance artist, balladeer, sensitive guitar player, rock ‘n roller. Nothing wrong with that. But every once in a while, a recording comes along with perspective that demands attention. For me, such has been the case for the last few months with Simon Curtis’ new release 8-bit Heart. It’s available for free download right here from his new website (which also has all the lyrics and a bunch of new photos), since the 24 year old L.A. based singer/songwriter has reached the magic number of 8,000 followers on Twitter.

People who know me for my veteran insight into Pop music over 30 odd years can vouch that I do not lend my support behind just any old undertaking. It all started with a tune called “Delusional” about 20 or so weeks ago (alas I have never heard Simon’s previous record, the still ‘unreleased’ Alter Boy).

So here’s my detailed Track-By-Track commentary on this conceptual mixtape. 8-bit Heart contains some brief tracks that are essentially dialogue at the beginning, end, and in the middle, plus some introductions to some songs. Some of it is related to the record’s concepts, others seem purely random and fun.

Don’t Wanna Be Alone – This rather plain-ish intro to the record doesn’t give you any idea of what’s in store for you, but it does start out the basic concept. It’s tough being our boy robot hero, finding his way through a cold, unforgiving, and seemingly unloving world.

Fell in Love with an Android – “This is Simon Curtis – Human-Cyborg Relations” – OK where’s this one going? Cold love meet thy bitch slap, ouch! This one still has me thinking… but I probably need to move on.

Super Psycho Love – I hemmed and hawed about this song, but it’s finally grown on me, the rhythm is irresistible and the lyrics ultimately are powerful.

8Bit Heart – The title track is the emotional core of the record with a fabulous vocal that’s actually enhanced by autotune – yes this record uses it as a special effect not as the full effect. The song initially gets you in the gut and sets a new tone for the rest of the record.

Diablo – After a few months, I find “Diablo” less brusque than I did at first. But it’s the song that ultimately turns the record on its side – a “Womanizer” for the young male voice that spits out more daggers than even “Fell in Love with an Android” or “Super Psycho Love”. Still not near my favourite, but very credible.

Delusional – “Delusional” to me is still the best song on the record. It packs a certain Pop punch unlike the rest, and contains not only an interesting story but also Simon’s best vocals. If there’s a surefire potential radio hit here, this is it!!

Joystick – Hands down, “Joystick” is the most humorous and the naughtiest track – even without swearing! It’s sinewy electro pop that will leave you wanting more.

Beat Drop – “Beat Drop” is my next most favourite song within after “Delusional”. It’s a dance club rave-up for the late nite crowd that’s just begging for an extended remix, though I love it just as it is, all 2:25 of it! Nice and tidy, with one of the best lines I’ve heard in a long time that name-checks a recent hit. Oh, and did I mention the opera singer? And what are the seven kinds of naughty, anyway?

Brainwash – The busiest track on 8-bit Heart is frenetic overkill with too much autotune, the only song that I would pass on, though it’s really the climax of the various concepts.

The Dark – The emotional dénouement to 8-bit Heart somehow ends up being warm and fuzzy inside, even with a lengthy sample (which if I’m not mistaken comes from Jay-Z’s “Encore”) that helps give our boy robot hero his tough exterior.

8-bit Heart is indeed a slick affair, not necessarily for the youngins, despite Simon’s recent exposure in Nickelodeon’s teen hit “Spectacular!”, with futuristic backdrop by pop/dance producer Jadion. It’s all about heartbreak, being alone and unloved, psycho relationships with the opposite sex, and just plain having fun. The lyrics and vocals spare no prisoners – pointed and bold lines are sung with sarcasm, anger, swearing, and humour. It’s exhilarating, thought-provoking, and a good time is had by all! Don’t miss it.

Simon Curtis – 8Bit Heart cover art

Here it is:

COMING VERRRRY SOON!

It’s almost time.

8Bit Heart is on its way 🙂 The talented Simon Curtis is less than 100 followers away from the target of 8,000! What a great way to kick off the recent b-day boy’s 24th year!

UPDATE on March 21: Simon got to 8,000 followers today 🙂

Simon’s mixtape has 10 songs, so here are some clues 😉

d–‘- w—- — –o–

-e– — —e -i– — –d—d

—-r —c– —e

8Bit Heart

Diablo

Delusional

–y—–

–a- –o-

-r—-a–

the —-

OK I’m done teasing 😉 So all you have to do now is wait!

Below is a cast pic of the leads of last year’s Nickelodeon movie Spectacular! which co-starred Simon.

Tuned-On! Top 30 #322 – Mar 15/10

The Ides of March are upon us tomorrow, and Daylight Savings Time has hit. Spring is, well, springing in advance in Toronto, and my work schedule is lightening up a bit to take a few days off this week. That usually means I get to play a lot of music and get caught up with new releases.

So while this edition of my personal chart (link also to the right under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART***) is chock full of stuff, the chart activity is pretty minimal. But we do have a new #1! Lady GaGa gets her first chart topper here with “Teeth”, which I think is just an incredibly wonderful and fun song. It will be competing with Penguin Prison’s quirky and amazing free download “Something I’m Not”, which moves from its debut position of 11 to 6 this week. (NOTE: Simon Curtis fans fear not – though “Delusional” will leave the chart after this one, since it’s lasted the maximum 10 chart appearances, new music from Simon is coming soon 🙂 )

A lot of the activity in the chart takes place outside of the Top 10, where there’s a passel of songs battling it out among each other. The more I listen to “Hallelujah” by Justin Timberlake, Matt Morris, and Charlie Sexton, the more I appreciate the careful harmonies and how close it comes to Jeff Buckley’s definitive version – especially given recent renditions of the song which I’ve heard in the past few weeks. Jason Derulo’s “In My Head” is an almost-singalong carried by a great melody. Dan Black’s pastiche that is “Pass That Head Noize” keeps winning creativity points from me, while “Don’t Stop” by Annie is pop/dance at its most adorable.

Evan Taubenfeld’s “Starbucks Girl” is gonna keep moving up my chart until I tire of it, even though it’s only available now on YouTube (I can still hope for a bonus live version on his upcoming CD, can’t I?). Example’s “Won’t Go Quietly” puts me in a good mood (which I’ve needed these past few weeks) and climbs 25-17, the Fastest Riser on the chart. Justin Nozuka’s “My Heart Is Yours” is right behind moving 27-20, an emotional ballad whose closest companion on the chart is “Hallelujah”. BT & Christian Burns’ “Suddenly” gets stuck in the middle but should find its way out of it in two weeks. Other debuts from last week by Pink, Javi, Ellie Goulding, and Vampire Weekend should also strut their stuff in the coming weeks.

Right now I can’t get enough of the energy from songs from Clayton Senne’s Wonderland CD, so the title track debuts at #24. I had this fascination with Massive Attack back in 1994 when they released the splendid Protection CD. After that they remained interesting to me but dropped off my radar. Now reduced to a duo, they seem to be back in the same form as 15 years ago with their new CD Heligoland, from which comes the murky, foreboding sound of “Girl I Love You”, featuring vocalist Horace Andy, at #25.

My final debut is timely. This song has been popping up on my iTouch shuffle in my car a lot lately. I saw the band open for The Midway State in Toronto last summer and was impressed at how tight they are and how lead singer Shaun Frank wins over the audience. Toronto’s The Envy signed this week to Gene Simmons’ record label, so expect to hear more from them soon. “Don’t Let Go” debuts at #29 and is available to you for free by subscribing to their newsletter at their MySpace site. Below’s a video of a recent live performance of the song. Enjoy 🙂

Show Us Your Teeth: Tuned-On! Top 30 #320 – March 1/10

Could Lady GaGa get her first #1 on this chart? While Mika’s “Rain” reigns steadily with former #1 “Delusional” by Simon Curtis right in tow, “Teeth” by Lady GaGa charges 12-3 to become her biggest hit on this chart, surpassing the #4 peak of “Bad Romance” and the current #4 position of “Speechless”. It’s really hard to say what’s my favourite song from The Fame Monster, I could pick and choose between the three and be very happy. Not to take away anything from “Teeth” (whose King5kat remix is outstanding) or even “Bad Romance”, but there are other challengers that could get to #1 too…

Also new to the Top 10 besides “Teeth” are Blake Lewis’ retro happiness of “Heartbreak On Vinyl” and “Pick Up The Phone”, the plea from the dancefloor by Dragonette. But just outside of the Top 10 is our first debut, and it’s the highest one in quite some time.

I lumped Penguin Prison’s “Something I’m Not” in with last week’s highlighted songs, but the tune has grown immensely on me during the last week to make it one of this year’s must have records, and it debuts on the chart at a huge #11! And the great part of it all is that it’s a free download! Chris Glover has a massive talent up his sleeve, and it’s too bad Interscope Records didn’t take him up on it as cited in this excellent story about him. I’m not sure if “Something I’m Not” can get to #1 next week, but it will give it the old college try! Do check it out – you will miss something special from this talented singer/producer/remixer otherwise!

Next, I have to comment about Evan Taubenfeld’s terrific track “Starbucks Girl”. Because of its connection to Starbucks, and Evan’s fans’ reaction to his use of autotune, the song has been pulled from the Welcome To The Blacklist Club CD and is no longer available as a free download. And that’s a damn shame. As is, “Starbucks Girl” has immense appeal, and the excellent, simple video expands on that appeal. Sure, I said that I’d like a version without the autotune too, but to no longer make the original version available is a mystery to me. Watch the video yourself and decide! The song still moves up 25-20 on the chart!!

The chart is full of massive activity this week. P!nk’s Grammy performance of “Glitter In The Air” is her best record in more than 6 or 7 years, and debuts at #23. New Yorker Javi, of Puerto Rican and Panamanian background, debuts at #24 with the gorgeous European-sounding Monsieur Adi remix of “Situation” . UK’s Example could give Calvin Harris a run for his money with “Won’t Go Quietly” at #25. This song may seem a little static at first but it really grows on you. Then blog-darling Ellie Goulding arrives at #26 with “Starry Eyed”, which has many remixes (including one by Penguin Prison), but my preference is for the shimmering retro Monarchy remix. Justin Nozuka’s fans light up this blog as his new CD You I Wind Land and Sea gets closer to release. “My Heart Is Yours” bows at #27. And finally, Vampire Weekend enters the chart at #28 with “Cousins”. The indie band scored a #1 Billboard album with Contra a few weeks back.

One last piece of housekeeping: I don’t think I’ve mentioned it since I started this blog last Fall. I have one rule on my personal chart. Songs must leave the chart after 10 appearances (20 weeks). This allows a fresh rotation of songs to occur, but it doesn’t prevent them from re-entering at a later date, though this doesn’t happen very often. Both Mika’s “Blame It On The Girls” and Dan Black’s “Alone” left the chart this week for this reason.

Have a great week and let’s see your comments 🙂