Twostepcublog

Tonight's Distant Shores song is a remake of Lykke Li's "I Follow Rivers" by Belgian rock band Triggerfinger. They're currently on top of the chart in the Netherlands and Belgium with this single.

Tonight's Distant Shores song of the night is Sweden's entry into this years Eurovision song contest, Loreen's "Euphoria". Loreen (born Lorine Talhaoui), was a contestant on that country's Idol franchise, and Euphoria is her second top-10 hit and first #1 there.

Singer Delta Goodrem has a lot in common with Antipodean queen Kylie Minogue. They're both Aussie singers who got their start on the soap Neighbours , Both transitioned from acting to singing with teen-pop releases before venturing into more adult material (though Delta went right to it on her debut album). Both have had crazy success around the world but have struggled to conquer the States (especially Delta, who only can boast a top-20 adult-pop ranking). And while Kylie's price may have been too high for the British version of The Voice , Delta settled in just fine in the Australian show's mentor spot. Both have had harrowing battles with cancer (Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 18), and on a lighter note both have a proclivity for younger men (Delta dated Nick Jonas a couple years back, and rumors swirl about her and co- Voice -mate Joel Madden). She's back on the charts in the #2 spot in her home country with the Brightman-esque "Sitti...

Tonight's DSS is by Frenchman Eric Greff, who performs under the fictional moniker of Helmut Fritz . The storyline behind Fritz is that he's a German inheritance kid ex-patriot that lives in Paris, and the album behind it, En Observation , is a comedic foray into the decadent "clubby" lifestyle. His third hit single in France, produced by the guys behind the funky Francodisco group Discobitch , is "Ça Gère", which roughly translates to " That Rules! " The Whole album is awesome for a novelty act, and worth seeking out. Now I can't embed the original video, which you can check out by clicking here (it's better seeing and hearing him) but below at least is the audio with pics... If you likey, you can pick up the import of Fritz's "Ca Gere" at Amazon's French site by clicking here .

Tonight's DSS is by German rock band Unheilig , fronted by singer "Der Graf", or "The Count. The outfit mixes darker elements of Kraut-Metal with the blippy accessibility of electronica, in a style known as Neue Deutsche Harte . Another band of the style, Rammstein, recently had a smash (Pussy) that even made my twostepcubchart. Unheilig's new song, in the top-3 in Germany and top-20 in Austria, is "Geboren Em Zu Leben", or "Born To Live"... If you'd like to know more about Unheilig, you can visit the band's website or Myspace . And if you'd like a copy of the single, you can order at Amazon's German site here .

Tonight's Distant Shores song is by Swiss singer Baschi , and the only thing I really know about it is it's from a film called Zweiohrküken , which in English is " Chicken With Two Ears ". Yeah. Riiiiight. The song is "Unsterblich" ("Immortality"), and it's better than I thought a song from a movie called "Chicken with Two Ears" could be... If you really like this song, you can pick up the single on Amazon Germany's site by clicking here ...

Tonight's Distant Shores song (songs from overseas that have caught my ear) is by singer Eric Carter , who hailed from the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. That country packs over a million people in under 800 square miles, and has been mostly under French control until independence in 1968. And it's France that Carter's music has been popular, and his latest, "Unification", reminds me just a bit of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)". Do you agree? Eric Carter's "Unification" isn't available in the States, but you can order it from Amazon's French site by clicking here .

Tonight's DSS is by France's answer to Jack Johnson, Tom Frager , and his followup to "Lady Melody". This one is all in English, and it's a breezy mindless winner. Perfect for imagining yourself on a beach in Martinique or Reunion. Here's "Give Me That Love"... Right now Tom Frager's music isn't released in the US, but you can listen more on his MySpace , or you can order his album Better Days from Amazon France by clicking here .

Tonight's DSS is by Some & Any , formed from two contestants who went on to win the eighth season of the German version of the Popstars singing competition/"reality" show. German Vanessa Meisinger and Brazilian/Swiss Leonardo Ritzmann have their first post-triumph single with "Last Man Standing", which has made the top-40 in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It's very late 80's retro, so at least someone is there to take a-ha's place (without the high falsetto, of course). Right now the only place I know to get "Last Man Standing is on German Amazon by clicking here .

Tonight's DSS is by Danish singer Aura Dione , and her first big Euro-hit, "I Will Love You Monday (365)". It's a great bubbly kiss-off that should find a home in a fairer US radio world. If you liked KT Tunstall (Black Horse & The Cherry Tree/Suddenly I See), chances are you'll dig this... Right now the only way to get Aura Dione is by import, you can find it on Amazon Germany by clicking here ...

Tonight's DSS is by British Hip-hop artist Dizzee Rascal , who has blended rap and dance music in such songs as "Dance Wiv Me", "Holiday", and "Bonkers", and has his third top-10 song in the UK from his latest set Tongue N Cheek with "Dirtee Cash (Money Talks)", which cribs from one of my faves from the early 90's, Adventures of Stevie V's "Dirty Cash"... You can pick up the album at Amazon by clicking here ...

Tonight's DSS is by French singer Tom Prager. According to his myspace page , Tom was born in Africa and grew up on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, where he became an accomplished surfer. (sound familiar?) He formed his band Gwayav seven years ago, and right now has the #1 song in France. It's a breezy beachtime song, and a video that has a special heartwarming guest star. Here's "Lady Melody"... "Lady Melody" isn't available directly here, but if it floats your boat, you can grab an import of the single or album at Amazon's French site by clicking here ...I recommend it if you love the Jack Johnson/Kenny Chesney vibe but don't mind listening in another language...

I love touting Scottish bands, all proud and all, and tonight's DSS is by rock group Biffy Clyro . They have had consistent success in the UK, but their popularity hasn't "crossed the pond" fully yet. Of course with song names like "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies" and "Hermafrofight" doesn't help (though the former is their biggest US hit so far). BC's latest, "That Golden Rule", is the second British top-10 from the Only Revolutions CD, and it's delightfully epic, going from moshworthy to experimental... You can order a copy of the "That Golden Rule" CD single from Amazon.com by clicking here . Bonus: Totally twisted version of a classic....Don't know if Stevie would approve...

Tonight's DSS is by Australian band Temper Trap , who have the best track on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack with the haunting "Sweet Disposition", which made the top-40 in the UK. It takes me back to the great soundtrack songs from the late 80's-early 90's, and if you like Coldplay, you'd be into this.. You can find out more about the Temper Trap on their MySpace page by clicking here , or you can purchase "Sweet Disposition" on Amazon.com by clicking here . Cheers!

Tonight's DSS is by Sarah Michelle , who formerly was part of the French child group Kidtonik , who I dorkily loved so much I ordered their CD from freakin' France. Sarah is now a solo artist in her teens, and her second single, "Mi Besta" (My Best), sure sounds like a close enough copy to Britney's "Womanizer". But hey, she's a kid, no?...Here's Mi Besta... Right now the only place selling "Ma Besta" that I could find was Amazon France ( click here ), where the MP3 is available in France only...keep watching there if you likey...

Tonight's DSS is by Angie B , who is a contestant on the French version of Big Brother . Her pop assimilation of Tektonic (French electronic dance music) on her new single "Soundwaves" is dance pop you can listen to in the car with your 12-year-old. Just don't show them the video... You can pick up "Soundwaves" at Amazon's MP3 store by clicking here ...

Tonight's DSS is by German techno group Scooter , who have been at the head of the German rave scene for fifteen years, and making the top-10 in their home country twenty-two times.They've crossed into Britain, hitting the top-40 eleven times, though in the States the only single to chart so far was a top-30 dance club single, "Fire". The boys from Hamburg are releasing a new album this fall, Under The Radar, Over The Top , and the first single is "J'Adore Hardcore"... Luckily in the States, Scooter has enough of a following that you can buy "J'Adore Hardcore" on Amazon's MP3 store by clicking here ....

Tonight's DSS is by Just Jack , the Londoner who has been on my DSS post before . His latest single "The Day I Died" strikes a Streets' "Dry Your Eyes" chord with a macabre twist...the video features British actor James Nesbitt and it's quite reminiscent in tone to the movie Memento , maybe not faithfully, but in spirit... You can pick up a copy of Just Jack's All Night Cinema CD, which contains the songs "The Day I Died" and "Embers", at Amazon.com by clicking here .

Today's DSS is by French DJ Laurent Wolf (nee' DeBuire), who had one of my favorite dance jams of last year, "No Stress". This time out he contorts Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line" into an electro bouncer, and accompanies it with an appropriately western-themed video. It's made the top-10 in France already in it's first week, here's "Walk The Line"... You can pick up an import of the CD Single for "Walk the Line" at Amazon's French site by clicking ici (here)...

Tonight's DSS is by Dutch singer Esmee Denters , who gained a following covering songs on YouTube , and now is signed to Justin Timberlake's "vanity record label", Tennman. Her new single has hit the top-10 in The Netherlands as well as Great Britain. Here's the Britneyesque "Outta Here"... Outta Here @ Yahoo! Video You can download Esmee's "Outta Here" at Amazon's MP3 store by clicking here ...