July 31st, 2017
Milk Teeth – Prism
‘Female-fronted’ is the thing in the British rock scene at the moment. Please, let me introduce you to Milk Teeth from Stroud, Gloucestershire. The band consists of bassist and vocalist Becky Blomfield, guitarists Chris Webb and Billy Hutton and drummer Oli Holbrook, and was formed in May 2013.
Since then they released the EP Smiling Politely, the EP Sad Sack and their first album Vile Child. This got them signed to famous rock label Roadrunner Records, which just released their new EP Be Nice. And that’s not all, another EP is already in the books for release in the autumn.
Prism is Milk Teeth’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.
Werner’s Weekly (week 31)
The likes of Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music made it easier than ever to keep track with new music. Whether you’re at home, on the beach, in your car or on safari: a smartphone with your service of choice is all you need. Oh, and you need the time to browse through all of the available playlists to pick the tracks of your liking…
If that’s too much hustle for you, trust me to it. I listen to music in every spare minute and love to select the best new songs for you on a daily basis. Just check (and follow) my Carte Blanche Music playlist and hear for yourself! Last week I added Belle & Sebastian, The Killers, Pvris, Sløtface, Superfood and many more to that playlist. Each and every one of them great tracks. But the very best of them – in my opinion – are listed alphabetically below (listen through the Werner’s Weekly player):
- Wolf Parade – Valley Boy (Wildcard this week)
- Aloe Blacc – King Is Born (Wildcard last week)
- Drones Club – International
- Jade Bird – Cathedral
- Nicole Atkins – Sleepwalking
- Skott – Mermaid
- The Montreals – Deadheads
- Young Gun Silver Fox – Midnight In Richmond
(Click the links for backgrounds on each of the tracks and click below to listen to them)

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.
Jade Bird – Cathedral
Jade Bird is only 19 and already a rising star in the London music scene. She started by singing covers of songs by the likes of Pixies, Beyoncé and Drake and just released her debut EP Something American, recorded in… well, the title explains…
The EP contains five original tracks, combining pop, rock, blues, country and r&b. And Jade assembled not the least musicians to play on it. You can hear Sara Lee (who worked with The B-52’s, Indigo Girls and many others) on bass and Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm) on guitar.
Cathedral is the lead single off the EP.
If you wonder if she can pull it off live, this is a one-taker, recorded in the Dreamland Studios in New York:

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.
Inheaven – World On Fire
Inheaven is a female-fronted rock band from London. They’re fishing in the same pond as Honeyblood, Deap Vally and Black Honey, but for me there can’t be enough bands like this.
Hopefully their mix of shoegazing and grunge, combined with a do it yourself mentality, is about to counter-balance the quantity of electronica in the current pop landscape. World On Fire is Inheaven’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.
Drones Club – International
Drones Club formed in London in the spring of 2015 out of ‘a desire to reconnect people in a low-attention economy’. Although they released over 10 singles and EP’s so far, these drones have so far managed to fly under my radar. But with their latest single, Drones Club indeed seems to be aiming for international success. I love this cosmic disco!

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.
European Border Breakers Chart 28 July 2017
Among the 15 (re)entries in this week’s European Border Breakers Chart, there are six first-timers. Mermaid by Skott at #96 is my favourite, obviously, I just wrote about it earlier today. A song that’s definitely destined for more. Van Echelpoel, best known for the amazing #14 peak of Ziet Em Duun, sung in a Flemish dialect, are back as well. This time with their fun take on Sinds 1 Dag Of 2 (32 Jaar) by Doe Maar, one of the most popular bands in the Netherlands in the 80’s. This new version, dubbed Sinds Nen Dag Of 2 (38 Jaar), is in at #68. And the talented Declan McKenna (pictured) follows his EBBCharts hits Brazil, Isombard and The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home with Humongous, at #90. Maybe the best of them all yet. Each of his singles has so far reached a higher position than the previous one, so the prospects are sunny.
For the full Top 100, click the ‘EBBChart’ tab in the top menu of this blog (loading of the PDF may take a little while). For more charts (like the Tips, ranking 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.
Skott – Mermaid
When Skott came to the scene last year, she was surrounded by mystery. The only things we knew about her, were that she was from Sweden and that she had grown up in a commune of folk musicians. Only much later, she got to know pop music. Her own songs sound like a hybrid of Lorde and Florence & The Machine, but are before all very much ‘Skott’.
My personal favourite Skott song is Amelia, but here is her new single Mermaid. Her latest track is actually her oldest song. She wrote an early piano version three years ago, but the finalised version is out now. It’s as mysterious and magical as ever…

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.
Wildcard (week 30):
Wolf Parade – Valley Boy
Over the years, legendary record label Sub Pop has been the home of bands like Afghan Whigs, CSS, The Go! Team, Hole, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Modest Mouse, Nirvana, The Postal Service, Saint Etienne and The Shins. One of the best bands in its current roster, in my opinion, is Wolf Parade.
Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band. They went on indefinite hiatus in 2011, but announced their return to recording and performing in January 2016. Since then, they worked on a new album, Cry Cry Cry, which will be released by Sub Pop on 6 October. The first single is here already and Valley Boy is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard (you can find all of them in the Wildcards 2017 playlist). Good to have them back!

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.
The Montreals – Deadheads
Unlike what you’d expect, The Montreals are not from Canada. They’re from Adelaide, Australia. The band only exists for two years now. Their first single that came to my attention, Indigo Club, bore a little resemblance to Finnish band Satellite Stories, but this new single has more of an indie sound. What remained is the catchiness. Nice one again, lads!

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.
Starsailor – All This Life
‘Post-Britpop’. It isn’t really a genre, it only references a musical period that in itself contained quite a diverse palette of genres. Still, Starsailor (like Travis, Stereophonics, Feeder and Coldplay) is called a post-Britpop act. Between 2001 and 2009 they released four studio albums, and in 2015 all of their singles to date were compiled on Good Souls: The Greatest Hits, which also included two new songs.
In the meantime, Starsailor had been on hiatus from 2009 ‘till 2014. On 1 September, they will release their fifth album All This Life. The title track is the second single off it; a return to form!

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.