June 5th, 2017
single track
Tom Williams – Little Bird
Tom Williams, formerly of Tom Williams & The Boat, was on the verge of abandoning the industry for a new career in teaching, when he decided to give it one more shot. He recorded his new album All Change on a very tiny budget, but he didn’t let that hold him back from writing bold tracks. One of the biggest and boldest is the future car classic Little Bird, Tom Williams’s new single.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Todd Rundgren (feat. Donald Fagen) – Tin Foil Hat
Carte Blanche Music is about new music only. Often by upcoming acts, but also by artists with tons of great music to their name (and who often don’t get the attention at radio they deserve anymore). Good music = good music (subjective as that may be), period!
Todd Rundgren is a true legend (to me, at least), not only as a producer, but also as a songwriter and performer in his own right. On his new album White Knight, he assembled a stellar line-up of all-star guest artists around him. How about Trent Reznor, Joe Walsh (of The Eagles), Daryl Hall, Bettye Lavette, Joe Satriani and Robyn? This diversity makes for an album that’s impossible to pigeon-hole.
One of the stand-out tracks to me is Tin Foil Hat. A song with the undeniable voice (and musical influence) of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen. In fact, this could as well have been a new Steely Dan song. So, Tin Foil Hat is a delight for fans of both artists. And the anti-Trump lyrics (and video) will delight even more people, I guess 😉 .
A hit? No way (but who cares…).
Great music? Most certainly!
Proposed action? Play and enjoy.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
werner's weekly
Werner’s Weekly (week 23)
As you’ve probably discovered as a follower of this blog, it’s been a great week for new music. The Charlatans, Beth Ditto, Radiohead, Sia, Sparks, The War On Drugs and many more have been added to my container playlist Carte Blanche Music (do you follow that one as well?). A pre-selection of all the additions has been highlighted on these pages and the very best of this pre-selection are now featured (alphabetically) in Werner’s Weekly:
- Soulwax – Do You Want To Get Into Trouble? (this week’s Wildcard)
- Rocky – Love Is A Soft Machine (last week’s Wildcard)
- Absynthe Minded – The Execution
- Arcade Fire – Everything Now
- Gamba – Don’t Leave The Boy Behind
- Hannah Grace – Praise You
- Kita Menari – Young Lovers
- Liam Gallagher – Wall Of Glass
- Nemesea – Dance In The Fire
Did you know there is a Werner’s Weekly playlist as well? There, you can listen to all of the above tracks. And if you’re interested in extra background information about each track, just click the respective links to find out more.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
border breaker, single track
Bad Sounds – Zacharia
Why didn’t British five-piece Bad Sounds name their band Dirty Sounds? Probably because they’re from Bath. I wrote about them earlier, concerning the great single Wages. Other tracks they released to far are I Feel, Avalanche and Meat On My Bones.
All four of them are now collected on their debut EP Phresssh, which also features one new lead track: Zacharia.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
cover, single track
Hannah Grace – Praise You
In 1999, Fatboy Slim’s Praise You, which was more than loosely based upon Camille Yarbrough’s Take Yo’ Praise, was a big hit. 17 years later, the song gets another stunning rework.
Hannah Grace, from South-Wales, turns 24 today (happy birthday Hannah!). She recently graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she studied jazz vocals. As a singer-songwriter, she incorporates elements from jazz, blues, folk, soul, rock and pop in her music. A bit like Hozier, whom she already supported on tour.
After her EP’s Meant To Be Kind and Mustang, she has now sunk her teeth in Praise You. The London Contemporary Voices Choir – who previously worked with artists such as Sam Smith, Imogen Heap and Alt J. – lend their vocals to the track as well. And still, it’s more pop than gospel. Hear for yourself!
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Arcade Fire’s new single is their most accessible yet. I’m probably not the only one who hears touches of ABBA in the piano part. The Swedes have great songs to their name (and a massively successful career), so who could blame Arcade Fire?
The Canadian band have announced a new album, Everything Now, to be released on 28 July. It was produced by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk, Steve Mackey of Pulp, Markus Dravs and Arcade Fire themselves. The album also features contributions from Geoff Barrow of Portishead.
Ahead of the album the band released the title track as its first single.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Liam Gallagher – Wall Of Glass
After Noel Gallagher left Oasis in 2009 and formed Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, the remaining Oasis members continued as Beady Eye. Although the former added more subtlety to their productions (to my liking), Beady Eye sure came up with some decent songs. The Roller, Flick Of The Finger and Shine A Light, for instance.
In 2014, Beady Eye disbanded as well. Shortly after, Liam Gallagher indicated he didn’t have plans to pursue a solo career. He did so in a delicate tweet, reading “Solo record are you fucking tripping dickhead im not a cunt LG X.” When it became clear he was going to release solo material, he referenced that tweet in a follow-up message, stating “It’s official I’m a cunt LG x.”
Liam’s first official single under his own name is Wall Of Glass, and it’s great.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Gamba – Don’t Leave The Boy Behind
Even if you don’t like king prawns, you’re sure to enjoy this band. Gamba is an Australian act, with at its core singer and primary songwriter Tessa S., who is surrounded by a four-piece band. They only started in late 2014, citing Fleetwood Mac, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lianne La Havas and even Oasis as their influences.
Leave The Boy Behind, apparently inspired by an awkward and painful separation, is Gamba’s debut single. It was rewritten and produced many times before it finally ended up on tape. “It revels in the frustration of not letting go of someone, despite the consequences or personal ramifications, and celebrates the weakness of toxic attraction,” songwriter Tessa says on the creation of the track.
Leave The Boy Behind is part of Gamba’s first EP, that’ll come out later.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
chart, ebbchart
European Border Breakers Chart 2 June 2017
When you’re talking about New Music Friday in the chart world, you’re talking about the European Border Breakers Chart. No other chart is set up to display so many emerging European talents. This week there are 15(!) (re)entries; 15 new acts that managed to break out of their home countries and achieve success on radio stations outside their countries of origin. 15 new artists to watch, because they might as well be the new mega acts of the future.
I’m very glad to see Delv!s, who should have scored big time with Come My Way already, entering at #60 with Sunday Interlude. The same goes for Dagny (pictured) in my opinion. Backbeat was a huge streaming hit, that was only moderately supported by radio across Europe (peaking at #79 in the EBBChart last year). Her new single Wearing Nothing already tops that by starting off at #68 this week. Let me copy/paste this story to Ten Tonnes, whose Silver Heat I liked very much, but who now hits the jackpot with the follow-up Born To Lose, opening this week at #70.
Click the ‘EBBChart’ tab in the top menu of this blog (loading of the PDF may take a little while) to discover these and 97 more promising artists. For more charts (like the Bubbling Under, which ranks the tracks that are on their way to the Top 100), please visit www.europeanborderbreakerschart.eu.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
single track
Absynthe Minded – The Execution
Their latest album As It Ever Was came out in 2012, but now, Absynthe Minded make a strong return. Okay, we’ll have to wait until 6 October before the Belgian band drops its new album Jungle Eyes, but the first single is out now.
The Execution is a somewhat more guitar heavy affair than Absynthe Minded produced before, but I like it a lot. Compared to earlier incarnations of the band, singer Bert Ostyn and bass player Sergej Van Bouwel are the only constants. For the new album, they surrounded themselves with an all-new set of musicians.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
