August 23rd, 2019
single track
You Me At Six – Whatâs It Like
You Me At Sixâs latest album VI was quite a sonic departure from⊠well, anything you had heard from the band before. A great experiment as far as Iâm concerned, which spawned some of their best songs to date. Now, they go even furtherâŠ
Whatâs It Like is the quintetâs first new song since last year. This time, they add trap/hip hop influences to the electronic rock sound they developed last year. If that sounds deliciously kaleidoscopic on paper, just click the link of your choice below. Youâll hear itâs even better!
Frontman Josh Franceschi explains the song is the band âflexing their creative musclesâ. âCombining our favourite genres and bringing them together in one track. For me lyrically, itâs looking at our society in parts in 2019. I definitely feel as though we are living in a time where weâve lost our way a little bit. There are great innovators and pioneers which we can rely on, but there is also a feeling of the blind leading the blind and a lack of humility present. Within the title and the chorus I sort of poke fun at those who are libertines or self serving – âWhatâs it like being perfect all the time?â Lifeâs not a competition, but people have a tendency to play it out that way.â
Recommended as well:
You Me At Six – Back Again
You Me At Six – 3AM
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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
Caravan Palace – Supersonics
Arnaud Vial, Charles Delaporte and Hugues Payen first met in 2005. They were asked by a movie production company to write music for a porn film set in the 1950s. Not much later, they decided to form Caravan Palace. The band produce, what they call, âelectro swingâ; a style that mixes jazz and electronic music.
30 August, Caravan Palace release their fourth album Chronologic. Earlier this year, it was preceded by the singles Miracle, About You (feat. Charles X), and Plume. New single Supersonics is out now as well. Immediately recognizable, but with added elements that appear to be influenced by the euro house sound of the early â90s.
Recommended as well:
Caravan Palace – Black Betty
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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
Enter Shikari – Stop The Clocks
Following their most recent album The Spark (2017), Enter Shikari toured a lot. Enough to release not one, but two live albums this year. Toward the end of 2018, the band added the song Stop The Clocks to their live sets. A great track, more poppy than the band ever sounded before.
A brand-new studio version of Stop The Clocks is Enter Shikariâs new single. This catchy, up-beat song begins with glitchy keys and features Queen-like vocal bursts. Lyrically, itâs about âthe joys of human connectionâ.
Frontman Rou Reynolds explains: âWhen someone is open and honest about their vulnerabilities, others can connect with them, and then all of us can feel stronger and more comfortable. It conveys the relief, warmth and freeing nature of the normalization of mental health struggles following decades of stigmatism. A flickering flame of positivity in these difficult and regressive times.â
Recommended as well:
Enter Shikari – The Sights
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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
Indigo – Guadeloupe
London-based quartet Indigo aimed high with their debut single Distant Lullaby. A fabulous pop song, a Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, but not the âfuture summer hitâ I predicted. Now, itâs time for a second chanceâŠ
New single Guadeloupe is an eclectic affair. Just what youâd expect from a band citing Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, Aphex Twin, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Chic (and many more) as their influences. Itâs a funny and very diverse track, with all kinds of vocal effects. They range from simply wonderful harmony vocals to echoing backings and pitched voices. Â All of this adds a spacey feel to the tune. Also check the wicked instrumental break.
Recommended as well:
Indigo – Distant Lullaby
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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
Tom Sail – Wounded
The haunting opening tones of Tom Sailâs second single Wounded remind me of Jamaicaâs I Think I Like U 2. Not because they sound the same, but because both are fun, up-beat, indie-pop songs with a retro feel.
Sail played every instrument on Wounded himself. âI come from a very musical family, and taught myself to play since I was 10 years old,â he says. âSome of the ideas for my music were generated during a six-month trip through South-East Asia, Australia and America and written in the back of a camper van on a tiny guitar I bought in Vietnam.â
Heâs currently working on a 12-song album to be released later this year. Expect echoes of The Beatles, The War on Drugs, Oasis and Motown in Sailâs music. Asked by indie-music.co to describe his upcoming album in five words, he answered:Â âRetro. Melancholic. Hopeful. Dreamy. Pensive.â
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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, wildcardWildcard (week 34):
Wildcard (week 34):
Nicolah – Holiday
Nicolah is a Cumbrian singer-songwriter, based in London. Her music is a sum of fresh life experiences about faith, sexuality, and culture. She explains: âI often see life from 2 sides of the same coin, and I battle with these sides in my head. What I have to come back to is hope.â
Her new single Holiday is the third release in a 3-track series, developing the concepts of reflection, refraction and dispersion. It was preceded by Waiting On You and Out Of The Pie. Inspired by everyone from Bruce Hornsby and Paramore to The Beatles, to me, Holiday sounds like a great mix of Jade Bird and early Melissa Etheridge. A song with âsummer smashâ written all over it.
For starters, Holiday by Nicolah is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it will feature here prominently for a whole week!
In the Wildcards 2019 playlist you can find all of this yearâs Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
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 trackSarpa Salpa – Before It Goes Dark
Sarpa Salpa – Before It Goes Dark
Sarpa Salpa are a 4-piece alt-pop band from Northampton. George (guitar), Marcus (vocals/guitar), Ethan (bass) and Charlie (drums) take their influences from Foals, Tame Impala and Friendly Fires. Apparently, theyâre not afraid to raise high expectations. Even better: they donât disappoint.
Their first two, independently released, singles were met with praise, airplay and packed shows. Now, theyâre working on their debut EP, which is due out at the end of the year. Before It Goes Dark is the bandâs new single. A mid-tempo, yet danceable track. It tackles the frustration of not being able to stop the inevitable. On top of that, it proves parlandos donât have to be daft.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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
Phantogram – Mister Impossible
In 2007, Josh Carter (vocals, guitar) and Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards) started the band Charlie Everywhere. But it wasnât until they changed the band name to Phantogram that success fell their way. Their debut album Eyelid Movies came out in 2009, but its follow-up meant their break-through. Second long-player Voices contained the single Fall In Love, which was a worldwide hit. The same goes for You Donât Get Me High Anymore, off 2016 album Three.
After a few rather quiet years, Phantogram speeded things up recently. Late May, they returned with Into Happiness, and Mister Impossible out now. Looks like a fourth album is on its wayâŠ
Mister Impossible is a self-written and -produced tune with a certain suspense to it. This is imposed by a booming beat and stretched-out synth bursts. In the bridge of the song, the vocal melody is doubled with a keyboard melody, which adds a sense of urgency. Great comeback!
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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
Nasty Cherry – Live Forever
Charli XCX is ready to release her third album in less than a month. But besides that, sheâs helping her protĂ©gĂ©s of Nasty Cherry launch their career. The band consists of model Gabriella Bechtel (vocals), Chloe Chaidez of the band Kitten (guitar), Georgia Somary (bass), and Deborah Knox-Hewson (Charliâs drummer). Half of them living in London and half of them residing in Los Angeles, this is not the best example of a logistic success story. However, when they come together to write, there is instant chemistry.
Nasty Cherry just released their third single, Live Forever. Once again co-written by Charli XCX, itâs a song where the loud drums and catchy chorus stand out. Live Forever follows the quartetâs awesome debut single Win and What Do You Like In Me.
Recommended as well:
Nasty Cherry – Win
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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
Wernerâs Weekly (week 34)
This is Wernerâs Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Terouz – Outstanding (Wildcard this week)
- The Howl & The Hum – Human Contact (Wildcard last week)
- MisterWives – Whywhywhy
- Nouvelle Vague feat. Julie Delpy – Lalala
- SofĂa Ellar – La RevoluciĂłn
- Son Mieux – Nothing
- The Man Who – Give Me Something
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Wernerâs Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Death Cab For Cutie, Liam Gallagher, Simply Red, Stereophonics, Two Door Cinema Club, and many 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.
