Franky Rizardo is one of those people that makes me feel old -- real old. He's only in his early 20s and the Dutch DJ has already spent more than a year as one of the most buzzed about artists in House music, winding up on the playlists of Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Fedde le Grand and Erick E. How is that fair?
Perhaps it will all make sense when you spin (click?) Real Love, his latest single from Defected Records, which is both a dancable and smartly structured House track. My favourite part is at 2:15 when the percussion kicks in. Yum.
Saturday 31 March 2012
Thursday 29 March 2012
Oh Canada! // Canadian partier does his best rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody
The latest viral sensation from the Great White North (my hometown!) comes from what's an almost too-good-to-be-true security video from a Royal Canadian Mounted Police vehicle.
After insisting he isn't drunk this guy starts to belt out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody with (almost) stunning accuracy.
Of course, this leads us to the ultimate question of the day:
After insisting he isn't drunk this guy starts to belt out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody with (almost) stunning accuracy.
Of course, this leads us to the ultimate question of the day:
Song of the Day // Carolina Liar - Me And You
If emo and mainstream pop were put in a blender then Carolina Liar would probably emerge. I realize that's probably a turnoff for most (as most blended foodstuffs are...unless it's a smoothie...mmm smoothie), but the band's new single Me and You is easy to digest.
Based in the U.S., but comprised of members from both South Carolina and Sweden, Carolina Liar has an accessible sound that harkens back to the early days of the '00s where every rock band was trying to look like Kurt Cobain but not sound like him. This will likely be their biggest track to date.
P.S. Listen to this verison and not the obnoxious "Single Mix" that just hit radio.
The Good Version:
The Wretched Single Mix:
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Most Played Songs of 2011 // The Top 10
While the lower end of my Top 20 revealed a lot of music I might be ashamed I listened to this year, I think the Top 10 reveals a good combination of quality popular hits, a few fantastic songs that never caught on and maybe one or two surprises.
I highly recommend downloading all of these.
10. Alexis Jordan – Happiness
This track was a hanger-on from 2010, but it's easy to understand why. I discovered Happiness early in 2011 after it had very minimal success on the North American charts the previous summer. The track uses Deadmau5's Brazil as the backing for Jordan's soothing vocals that take the original track up a notch every time she reaches for a high note.
9. Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji – Pressure (Alesso Remix)
Other remixes were hard-pressed to compete with the magic that Alesso made here. He took a track that initially was pretty soggy and injected a building tension that uses Nadia's vocals to frame a pulsing beat that could take down the walls of almost any club. The genius at work here has been totally under appreciated.
8. Adele – Rolling In The Deep
I'm surprised this track isn't higher on my list, but I think it had more to do with it being played everywhere I went in public, which lessened the need for me to play it on my iPod or computer. Adele fuses soul, pop, R&B and an overall contextualization of where music has been, and where it's going, which makes this not just a stellar track, but one we'll be telling future generations "I remember when I first heard that song on YouTube..."
7. M83 – Midnight City
The sheer power of this song almost trumps the fact that Midnight City is an exercise in modern musical genius from an artist that deserves more recognition from the masses.The thumping combination of electro beats, and vocals that linger in the shadows, make it nearly inconsequential that you probably have no idea what this song is really about (I didn't until I read into the lyrics and did a little more exploring). This is probably my favourite track of the year, and it should rank higher on this list. Did I mention the song climaxes with the best saxophone solo in recent memory...OK, settle down over there Gaga, we like your song too.
6. Outasight – Tonight Is The Night
Perhaps the biggest guilty pleasure in my Top 10 is this pop track which was catchy enough to be picked by Pepsi to launch a "legends" TV campaign. Inspired by the 80s party atmosphere, rapper/singer Outasight spouts lines about how he's finally coming out to party. Yes, that's about it. But for some reason it really works because he convinces you that going out to party is some sort of social uprising. "Comes a point where lying no longer works, so you have to stand up for how you wanna live." Sounds like he's coming out to me...
5. Miranda Cosgrove - Dancing Crazy
Avril Lavigne penned this song, and Miranda sings it like she's the Sk8er Girl herself. Somehow it all works to pop radio perfection, and in another time this probably would've been a hit. Unfortunately, that was 10 years ago when NSync rules the airwives. No matter because the naive party energy ("put your hands up" instead of put your drinks up?; and flirting with lines like "I like you and you like me") taps into that side of you that wishes you still had some naive party energy.
4. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
At this point some of you have screamed at your computer with wide eyes "BORN THIS WAY? REALLY?!?!" and that's part of the reason why this track ranks so high. It was an anthem that burst onto radio with a fury that was inescapable, but a message that rarely makes it to radio. It was aggressive and proud in a way that didn't do it by putting others down. Few songs like that exist these days since hip-hop took over, and Gaga's confidence in this song gave soggy playlists some new life.
3. Penguin Prison - Don't Fuck With My Money
This electo-pop-funk ditty is infused with a few vocal grunts a la Michael Jackson, and it should've been a big hit on radio, but the expletive in the title seemed to turn many people off, and the "Don't Mess With My Money" version just didn't have the same power. I've found a little consolation in knowing that a lot of people I know heard this song and said "Wow, this is really great!" Perhaps that'll at least ensure it ends up on the soundtrack to a bunch of movies.
2. Olav Basoski - New Day
I'm surprised this song didn't hit the top of my Most Played because it sort of took over my life when I first heard it. Of course, it's a party song like many others on my list, but there isn't much of a message here. Instead, it hinges on an irresistible optimism that's built on that beat. It takes over from the get-go and only lets up once mid-track to give House music fans a moment to breathe. New Day could've found a home in discotheques 30+ years ago, but is also feels fresh in 2011.
1. Oh Land - White Nights
Part of the reason White Nights soared so high is because the trippy music video gave Oh Land's track a second life on my playlist. But, I must admit it was one of the songs I talked about most in 2011. The bouncy, percussive atmosphere White Nights was perfect for afternoon daydreams of bounding through meadows and wrestling with minotaurs. Or was that a dream...? I can't be sure.
Hope everyone found a few songs they loved!
I highly recommend downloading all of these.
10. Alexis Jordan – Happiness
This track was a hanger-on from 2010, but it's easy to understand why. I discovered Happiness early in 2011 after it had very minimal success on the North American charts the previous summer. The track uses Deadmau5's Brazil as the backing for Jordan's soothing vocals that take the original track up a notch every time she reaches for a high note.
9. Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji – Pressure (Alesso Remix)
Other remixes were hard-pressed to compete with the magic that Alesso made here. He took a track that initially was pretty soggy and injected a building tension that uses Nadia's vocals to frame a pulsing beat that could take down the walls of almost any club. The genius at work here has been totally under appreciated.
8. Adele – Rolling In The Deep
I'm surprised this track isn't higher on my list, but I think it had more to do with it being played everywhere I went in public, which lessened the need for me to play it on my iPod or computer. Adele fuses soul, pop, R&B and an overall contextualization of where music has been, and where it's going, which makes this not just a stellar track, but one we'll be telling future generations "I remember when I first heard that song on YouTube..."
7. M83 – Midnight City
The sheer power of this song almost trumps the fact that Midnight City is an exercise in modern musical genius from an artist that deserves more recognition from the masses.The thumping combination of electro beats, and vocals that linger in the shadows, make it nearly inconsequential that you probably have no idea what this song is really about (I didn't until I read into the lyrics and did a little more exploring). This is probably my favourite track of the year, and it should rank higher on this list. Did I mention the song climaxes with the best saxophone solo in recent memory...OK, settle down over there Gaga, we like your song too.
6. Outasight – Tonight Is The Night
Perhaps the biggest guilty pleasure in my Top 10 is this pop track which was catchy enough to be picked by Pepsi to launch a "legends" TV campaign. Inspired by the 80s party atmosphere, rapper/singer Outasight spouts lines about how he's finally coming out to party. Yes, that's about it. But for some reason it really works because he convinces you that going out to party is some sort of social uprising. "Comes a point where lying no longer works, so you have to stand up for how you wanna live." Sounds like he's coming out to me...
5. Miranda Cosgrove - Dancing Crazy
Avril Lavigne penned this song, and Miranda sings it like she's the Sk8er Girl herself. Somehow it all works to pop radio perfection, and in another time this probably would've been a hit. Unfortunately, that was 10 years ago when NSync rules the airwives. No matter because the naive party energy ("put your hands up" instead of put your drinks up?; and flirting with lines like "I like you and you like me") taps into that side of you that wishes you still had some naive party energy.
4. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
At this point some of you have screamed at your computer with wide eyes "BORN THIS WAY? REALLY?!?!" and that's part of the reason why this track ranks so high. It was an anthem that burst onto radio with a fury that was inescapable, but a message that rarely makes it to radio. It was aggressive and proud in a way that didn't do it by putting others down. Few songs like that exist these days since hip-hop took over, and Gaga's confidence in this song gave soggy playlists some new life.
3. Penguin Prison - Don't Fuck With My Money
This electo-pop-funk ditty is infused with a few vocal grunts a la Michael Jackson, and it should've been a big hit on radio, but the expletive in the title seemed to turn many people off, and the "Don't Mess With My Money" version just didn't have the same power. I've found a little consolation in knowing that a lot of people I know heard this song and said "Wow, this is really great!" Perhaps that'll at least ensure it ends up on the soundtrack to a bunch of movies.
2. Olav Basoski - New Day
I'm surprised this song didn't hit the top of my Most Played because it sort of took over my life when I first heard it. Of course, it's a party song like many others on my list, but there isn't much of a message here. Instead, it hinges on an irresistible optimism that's built on that beat. It takes over from the get-go and only lets up once mid-track to give House music fans a moment to breathe. New Day could've found a home in discotheques 30+ years ago, but is also feels fresh in 2011.
1. Oh Land - White Nights
Part of the reason White Nights soared so high is because the trippy music video gave Oh Land's track a second life on my playlist. But, I must admit it was one of the songs I talked about most in 2011. The bouncy, percussive atmosphere White Nights was perfect for afternoon daydreams of bounding through meadows and wrestling with minotaurs. Or was that a dream...? I can't be sure.
Hope everyone found a few songs they loved!
Most Played Songs of 2011 // (from #11 - #20) - (aka. The Shame Part of the List)
Note: I plucked this off my former blog and migrated it over here (a little late for a 2011 list, but it's something worth reading, I think). It's not fresh content, but it's probably new to you!
Everybody makes a list of their “best” songs of 2011, and that’s all and good, but how many people actually listened to their favourite song of the year the most? I’d place bets that many didn't. In fact, I’m one of them because if I had to say so, I think M83’s Midnight City is the most creative and interesting song of this year — but it’s not my most played — gadzooks!
Everybody makes a list of their “best” songs of 2011, and that’s all and good, but how many people actually listened to their favourite song of the year the most? I’d place bets that many didn't. In fact, I’m one of them because if I had to say so, I think M83’s Midnight City is the most creative and interesting song of this year — but it’s not my most played — gadzooks!
Instead, I’m letting an invisible computer tracker show you what I listened to most this year. Granted, songs released later in the year didn't get the advantage of time to rack up extra plays on my iTunes, but I think this list provides an amusing insight into my guilty pleasures and even missteps in 2011.
The bottom half of the top list appears to be largely a collection of my guilty pleasures from the year. Maybe you’ll find a few you enjoy yourselves…even if it is secretly.
20. Gym Class Heroes - Stereo Hearts (Feat. Adam Levine)
Say goodbye to the mainstream because this is about the last time most of you are going to recognise a track on this list for…well, quite some time. Infectious, diverse, optimistic and the return of Adam Levine to the vocal glory he deserved this year (which was quickly followed by the surge of popularity of that Jagger song).
19. Kimberly Caldwell – Desperate Girls & Stupid Boys
The former American Idol contestant flopped with this song, but I think her growly voice is unique and the rock/pop grrrl power angle has been overlooked lately.
19. Oh Land – Sun of a Gun
The pulsing sexuality of this song made it an instant appeal to me. Then the snapping. Then the full blown chorus. There’s a minimalist approach to the sound of this track, even when it’s full blown percussion, and that tension underneath just makes it sizzle.
18. Andy Grammer – Keep Your Head Up
Rainy days and solemn evenings always got a pick-me-up when this song came on. It took a good eight months after release for this fearlessly upbeat song to catch on, and if anything that serves as an extra reminder that sometimes persistence leads to success. It also proves that once people learn the words, they’re more than willing to sing along if it feels right.
17. Britney Spears – Selfish
Once the shock subsides, I’ll confirm that Britney somehow made it onto my list, even though I wholly resent her as an “artist” or whatever you call her. But it was hard for me to deny her this year when she was full-on airhead in Selfish, a bonus track from her latest CD, ridden with lazy cliches and bad songwriting that was just too delicious to let go. Think Showgirls for the pop world. Anyhow, I couldn't resist singing disastrous lines like “boom-boom baby, pick you up in my Mercedes.” Like really, somebody wrote that down and thought it was OK? Consider this an extreme guilty pleasure that is best enjoyed with a stripper swinging on a brass rail. I still can’t get over the fact she sounds like she’s singing “sailfish”…
16. The Dears – Omega Dog
Forget the Beibers and the Lavignes, the Dears need to find some more success outside of Canadian rock radio. Sure, they've had the critics in their grasp for years, but their most recent album had some real gems on it, including the simmering eletro-rock intensity of Omega Dog, which feels like at least three different songs in the span of five minutes — all of them solid tracks.
15. Theophilus London – I Stand Alone
Theophilus made waves (at least in my books) in 2010 on the Penguin Prison remix of Ellie Goulding’s Starry Eyed, but he’s a very unusual rapper that I knew from the start the mainstream wouldn't know what to do with. Take in case the video for I Stand Alone, a wholly competent rap/rock track that has him dressed in a cowboy hat and furry jacket. Immediately he wasn't looking to be like everyone else, and so it was, the song fell by the wayside. Too bad really.
14. Aqua – How R U Doing
I have no one to blame but myself for this one. The song came out, I was excited that Aqua had a new track and I listened to it a whole lot. It’s incredibly dumb, and with lyrics like “we gonna pop what’s in the bottle, gonna rock what’s in the shottle” I should shrug my head in shame. There is something infectious about this song, but it’s comparable to gonorrhea.
13. Ultraviolet Sound – Girl Talk
Man, the shame just continues. Still, I find a lot of fun in the stories told in this relentlessly pop-electro track. It’s the kind of song you either get or you don’t, and I can’t really blame you if you’re on the latter end.
11. Jedward – Lipstick
Anyone who knew me this year learned time and time again how obsessed I was with Eurovision, and while many of the tracks made their way onto my Top 30 for the year, most of them lingered in the 20s (thank god). All except this one, perhaps the most embarrassing of them all. Jedward is from Ireland and the teenieboppers there love their over-the-top theatrics and lack of music skills. Of course, they’re also from one of those TV talent shows from several years ago where they were panned by everyone, but they've managed to keep the interest of the public, mostly because of performances like the one above, at the Eurovision finals.
All right, now that I've sweated it out through these, I’m proud to tell you that the Top 10 list that will appear here soon features songs I am entirely proud to tell you are some of my favourites of the year — no guilty pleasures!
The bottom half of the top list appears to be largely a collection of my guilty pleasures from the year. Maybe you’ll find a few you enjoy yourselves…even if it is secretly.
20. Gym Class Heroes - Stereo Hearts (Feat. Adam Levine)
Say goodbye to the mainstream because this is about the last time most of you are going to recognise a track on this list for…well, quite some time. Infectious, diverse, optimistic and the return of Adam Levine to the vocal glory he deserved this year (which was quickly followed by the surge of popularity of that Jagger song).
19. Kimberly Caldwell – Desperate Girls & Stupid Boys
The former American Idol contestant flopped with this song, but I think her growly voice is unique and the rock/pop grrrl power angle has been overlooked lately.
19. Oh Land – Sun of a Gun
18. Andy Grammer – Keep Your Head Up
Rainy days and solemn evenings always got a pick-me-up when this song came on. It took a good eight months after release for this fearlessly upbeat song to catch on, and if anything that serves as an extra reminder that sometimes persistence leads to success. It also proves that once people learn the words, they’re more than willing to sing along if it feels right.
17. Britney Spears – Selfish
Once the shock subsides, I’ll confirm that Britney somehow made it onto my list, even though I wholly resent her as an “artist” or whatever you call her. But it was hard for me to deny her this year when she was full-on airhead in Selfish, a bonus track from her latest CD, ridden with lazy cliches and bad songwriting that was just too delicious to let go. Think Showgirls for the pop world. Anyhow, I couldn't resist singing disastrous lines like “boom-boom baby, pick you up in my Mercedes.” Like really, somebody wrote that down and thought it was OK? Consider this an extreme guilty pleasure that is best enjoyed with a stripper swinging on a brass rail. I still can’t get over the fact she sounds like she’s singing “sailfish”…
16. The Dears – Omega Dog
Forget the Beibers and the Lavignes, the Dears need to find some more success outside of Canadian rock radio. Sure, they've had the critics in their grasp for years, but their most recent album had some real gems on it, including the simmering eletro-rock intensity of Omega Dog, which feels like at least three different songs in the span of five minutes — all of them solid tracks.
15. Theophilus London – I Stand Alone
Theophilus made waves (at least in my books) in 2010 on the Penguin Prison remix of Ellie Goulding’s Starry Eyed, but he’s a very unusual rapper that I knew from the start the mainstream wouldn't know what to do with. Take in case the video for I Stand Alone, a wholly competent rap/rock track that has him dressed in a cowboy hat and furry jacket. Immediately he wasn't looking to be like everyone else, and so it was, the song fell by the wayside. Too bad really.
14. Aqua – How R U Doing
I have no one to blame but myself for this one. The song came out, I was excited that Aqua had a new track and I listened to it a whole lot. It’s incredibly dumb, and with lyrics like “we gonna pop what’s in the bottle, gonna rock what’s in the shottle” I should shrug my head in shame. There is something infectious about this song, but it’s comparable to gonorrhea.
13. Ultraviolet Sound – Girl Talk
Man, the shame just continues. Still, I find a lot of fun in the stories told in this relentlessly pop-electro track. It’s the kind of song you either get or you don’t, and I can’t really blame you if you’re on the latter end.
11. Jedward – Lipstick
Anyone who knew me this year learned time and time again how obsessed I was with Eurovision, and while many of the tracks made their way onto my Top 30 for the year, most of them lingered in the 20s (thank god). All except this one, perhaps the most embarrassing of them all. Jedward is from Ireland and the teenieboppers there love their over-the-top theatrics and lack of music skills. Of course, they’re also from one of those TV talent shows from several years ago where they were panned by everyone, but they've managed to keep the interest of the public, mostly because of performances like the one above, at the Eurovision finals.
All right, now that I've sweated it out through these, I’m proud to tell you that the Top 10 list that will appear here soon features songs I am entirely proud to tell you are some of my favourites of the year — no guilty pleasures!
Power Track of the Week // Hooray For Earth - No Love
Power Track of the Week is my chance to tell you all "HA!" And so... HA!
Hooray for Earth was a song I posted last July, but this month it has spiked in plays on Last.Fm and elsewhere because a BBC Radio host just picked it as a recommended song and video game MLB ‘12 put it on its soundtrack. One user on YouTube compared it to MGMT.
I'd like to think all of this attention is because I posted about them last July.
Greetings Earthlings...
I have landed on the Blogger website today to preach the gospel of music. After years of sharing my thoughts and tracks almost exclusively on my Facebook and Twitter accounts -- as well as LiveJournal back when kids were still listening to 8-tracks -- I suddenly realized I was only limiting myself and hurting others.
Now I can finally take over the world one stanza at a time!
Muah-hahahaha!
Now I can finally take over the world one stanza at a time!
Muah-hahahaha!
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