Example - Skies Don't Lie

"Just hold my hand, don't let go"

So for me, Example's new album has turned out pretty much just like his last one. A handful of really, really excellent songs, and some that I just don't care for. I would say that the quality is a lot higher on this new one and there are six huge standouts rather than the four on the last album, but I was really hoping for something that hit me hard from beginning to end. With that being said, what works does so very well, and melding these six tracks (Changed The Way You Kissed Me, Midnight Run, Skies Don't Lie, Stay Awake, Microphone & Lying To Yourself -- if you were curious) with the older four make an epic ten-track album. Skies Don't Lie opens the new album with a grand, dramatic flourish. It's got an interesting structure, building to--rather than jumping off with--a dynamic, anthemic chorus that carries on until the end of the track. It's the kind of massive sound Example does better than any other popular artist right now. An album of this would be amazing! Maybe next time...

Example - Skies Don't Lie by foofaika

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

What I'd Like to See in Music Today

After a bit of a summer lull, I have high hopes for the next few months of music. Still, as someone obsessed with the industry and the history of music, there are so many things that I'd like to see happen in the next few years. Here, in no particular order, are a few. What are some of your ideas?

A pop dynasty (Jaden and Willow Smith don’t count)
I'm talking Michael and Janet Jackson level. Two (or more) siblings/relatives with similar style, enormous talent and huge pop culture impact. Can you imagine if one of our biggest pop stars today had a sibling that also sang?

Meat loaf meets dance
Wouldn't this be cool? In fact, I'd like to see rock and club music coming together a lot more, as I think it will, but no whiny, wimpy rock. I want full-on Meat Loaf-style grandeur. Remixed.

Good straightforward radio rock (a la Robbie Williams)
There seems only to be one or two actual rock hits on mainstream radio these days. We need funny, melodic stuff in the Britpop mold to make a resurgence.

Pop stars working with one writer/producer only
No more of this "seven people writing a song" or "twelve producers on an album." Albums are always best when they're created under one vision. I love to see an artist/songwriter/producer that click and stay together for multiple albums.

An American, male pop star not going down the r&b route (and not afraid to costume it up)
We are hurting for male popstars in this country. We need someone who will mix genres and not go straight for the easy r&b/hip-hop route. We also need someone not afraid to bring a sense of glamour/majesty. A male Lady Gaga? Maybe less crazy, though. Artists like this exist in Europe. Why can't one break through here?

A new Adam Ant
Similar to my last thought, I'd like an alternative, solo male popstar with a theatrical sense and a sound that's completely new.

Stadium bands (bands who write big)
Enough of this subtle, Starbucks-style rock. I want bands that throw it all out there and write anthems. Something like a modern U2, but less annoying and far less serious.

A mainstream band incorporating story, concept album and music
I want a decent concept album that actually spawns hits and tells a story. I want visuals and media to be incorporated, and I want the singers to adopt personas or characters. In other words, put some imagination in it.

A good soundtrack
In these days of itunes and singles vs. albums, this is going to be a toughie. But it could happen. We need a soundtrack so carefully compiled and tied so extensively to a blockbuster film that it demands to be heard in full. I'm thinking back to the 80's, when soundtracks were all the rage.

Kyla La Grange - Heavy Stone

"Hide me safe away"

I'm really taken with this song. It's not necessarily the type of thing I usually post, but like Florence + The Machine, Kyla melds her folk sensibilities with an epic scope and pop production. Her vocals are very reminiscent of Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks (with whom she's garnered a lot of comparisons). It's weird. I've never been much of a fan of Fleetwood Mac, but Stevie Nicks-esque vocals are probably my favorite "female sound" in pop. Add that to a lush, hypnotic song that builds and builds in grandeur, and you've got something very special (stay until the end... it gets massive). This is the type of track that sounds like it could've been floating around in the ether for hundreds of years. It's got that timeless, folk quality to it. I also think it's the type of song that would appeal to anybody. Pop fans will like it, folk fans will like it, country fans will like it. Hip hop fans? Maybe not. But then again, maybe that's why it's so refreshing. Best of all, she's got it up for free download through her soundcloud page!

Heavy Stone by Kyla La Grange

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listen to more here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

My Top Songs of Summer 2011

Summer is over this weekend (though from the weather around here, you'd think that it was finally just beginning). I was seriously underwhelmed in the album category this year, but there were a ton of great singles to choose from. Here's an album's worth (in no particular order) of what I've been listening to over and over again. What about you?

Example - Changed The Way You Kissed Me - Such a leap from his earlier work, which I also loved. It's just a gargantuan song waiting to crossover to the US.

One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful - I was a huge supporter of theirs during X-Factor, and now that I've heard this I like them even better. 100% on the mark.

Martin Rolinski - Blame It On A Decent Matter - BWO frontman goes solo with a track that nearly out-BWOs BWO! Big, plastic Swedish synths (MUCH better than Swedish meatballs).

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem - This was, for better or worse, played so often this summer. A triumph in infectious stupidity.

Pnau - The Truth - It really caught on with me over the past few months. That chorus hits you like a freight train.

Adele vs Robin S. - Show Me In The Deep - I tired of the Adele original very quickly, but never wore out this excellent remix. She should do dance more often. The remix of the year, without question.

Nero - Promises Dipping my toe into dubstep (and this is really watered down dubstep), this was the La Roux track of the summer (without actually being La Roux).

The Sound Of Arrows - Magic - They get better and better with every release. This never failed to cheer me up.

Foster The People - Helena Beat The world's still reeling from their debut, but I was onto the next single months ago. This one's better, anyways.

Mika - Elle Me Dit - Who would have thought Mika would've wormed his way back into my good graces with a french dance track?

Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger - Even stranger, this was a band I couldn't stand two months ago. Cue this track, which turned it around with that incessant whistle. Xtina couldn't even ruin it.

Le Kid - America - A soaring pop confection from Sweden, in a year where Sweden isn't quite living up to the hype I always give it.

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night - With each single, I like her more and more. The video to this song clinched it.

The Wanted - Glad You Came - I have a feeling that this will be known as the year of the boybands in the UK. But when they're this good...

The 10 Best Singles By... BWO

I'm launching a new feature today, and with Martin Rolinski's excellent solo single on the rise and an album right around the corner, what better artist to start with than Sweden's incomparable electro-poppers BWO. They're a remarkably consistent band, but what are their ten best singles? Find out here!

10. Give Me The Night (2007) - Taking a harder-edged 80's influence, this track was the highlight of their third album, Fabricator.

9. Right Here, Right Now (2009) - It wasn't the first time they'd gone choral, but this stunning album opener proved that they had mastered it. Their last great single.

8. We Could Be Heroes (2006) - Their ballads have always been excellent, but this one introduced a new, poppier version of the band. That chorus!

7. Lay Your Love On Me (2008) - This Madonna-esque Melodifestivalen entry cemented their status as pop legends in Sweden. It's gargantuan. The outfits, too, were some of their best.

6. Temple Of Love (2006) - One of the clubbiest singles the band has released, this was more of a continuation of the first album than the poppier side of the second. An enormous hit.

5. Chariots Of Fire (2006) - The first time the band flirted with what could be called a "choral arrangement." It beefed up their sound big time. Excellent song, hilarious video.

4. Sixteen Tons Of Hardware (2005) - The first BWO track I ever heard, and still one of my favorites. It's so silly, yet so confident in its ridiculousness.

3. Open Door (2005) - The single that ultimately sold me on the band and prompted me to buy their first album. It's just a gorgeous, sweeping ballad. Sometimes simplicity is best.

2. Conquering America (2004) - This has risen in stature with each passing year for me. It contains perhaps their catchiest hook and a sledgehammer of a beat. If only the lyrics had come true! I love the boastfulness of their early work.

1. Sunshine In The Rain (2005) - I will never get enough of this song. It's such an odd concoction of electronics, Beach Boy-esque background vocals and hand claps. it's utter perfection, and definitely the best single of their career.

So there you go! But here's the thing, no list is complete without hearing what you think! Leave your top ten BWO songs in the comments! I'd love to compile responses into an ultimate list!