September 13th, 2021
werner's weekly
Wernerâs Weekly (week 37)
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:
- Clara Luciani – Respire Encore (Wildcard this week)
- Self Esteem – How Can I Help You (Wildcard last week)
- Breakaway – Iâm Feeling Dead
- Certain Animals – Younger Than Now
- Halsey – Honey
- King Stingray – Milkumana
- Louis Berry – Are You Alone?
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: Andy Grammer, Royal Blood, The Vaccines, and 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.
single track
Alice Merton – Island
Two years after (finally) dropping her debut album Mint â whoâs first single No Roots dated from 2016 â the wonderful Alice Merton is back with new music. Having dropped the track Vertigo in April, she now comes with two songs at once. Hero and Island are a good old-fashioned double A-side single.
Although not the song thatâs being pushed at radio, Island is my favourite of the two. And I bet my radio friends will agree with me. With its restless drums, a dramatic hook and a distorted guitar riff, Island has a nervous, anxious rock energy.
In an interview with Flood magazine, the singer says about releasing two tracks simultaneously: âI decided to put out two songs, partly because I see Island as the prequel to Hero. I keep thinking if âhopeâ was a spectrum, Island and Hero would be at opposite ends. Island showcases a desperate need for survival, whereas Hero confronts a realistic and slightly pessimistic fate, waving the white flag and admitting to its defeat.â
Recommended as well:
Learn To Live
Why So Serious
Lash Out
Hit The Ground Running
No Roots
Follow Alice Merton on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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.
cover, single track
Alessia Cara & The Warning – Enter Sandman
Alongside the 30th Anniversary Edition of their self-titled âblack albumâ, Metallica released The Metallica Blacklist. This 4-CD set contains covers of black album tracks by artists like Juanes, Weezer, Sam Fender, Royal Blood, Biffy Clyro, J. Balvin, Chase & Status, Volbeat and Depeche Modeâs Dave Gahan. Some of these are truly awful, but donât take my word for it. You could better tempt you ears yourselfâŠ
Meanwhile, some of them are really good as well. I was rather charmed by Miley Cyrus, Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujilo & Chad Smithâs version of Nothing Else Matters, for instance. The cover albumâs opener is equally strong. The first track youâll hear when you put it on, is Enter Sandman by Alessia Cara & The Warning. No way youâll fall asleep to this one. Although the epic guitar hook is unmistakable, the ladies give the well-known hit their own spin. Alessia Cara fans especially should brace themselves. Throughout, the track is very well sung.
Just in case you didnât know: The Warning are three sisters from Monterrey, MĂ©xico. Daniela Villarreal plays the guitar and shares the lead vocals with Cara, while drummer Paulina Villarreal and bass player Alejandra Villarreal both provide backing vocals as well. All four of the artists will donate their portion to Save The Children. A job well done in more ways than one.
Follow Alessia Cara on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Follow The Warning on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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.
album track
Annie – April
Norwegian pop princess Annie just put out her new EP Neon Nights. It features five tracks. Two of those were released before: her cover of The Jesus & Mary Chainsâ Just Like Honey and a collab with Scissor Sistersâ Jake Shears. Also present on this EP: Annieâs version of Patrick Swayzeâs Sheâs Like The Wind.
My favourite however, is April. She made this track with frequent collaborator Richard X. He co-wrote, produced and arranged the song. I find it hard to decide whether Annieâs voice is warm or cool, but as always, it fits the electro-pop backdrop like a glove. In the verses I hear an echo of Youâve Got It Bad by Ocean Colour Scene, which is never a bad thing.
All in all, a great track that deserves to be put out as a single!
Follow Annie on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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
Lucy Daydream – Where I Need To Be
Already moving on from their recent second EP of the year, Enter The Luce-Verse, Lucy Daydream just released a great new gem. Where I Need To Be is a guitar-driven pop song. Although the upbeat track would sound great on the radio, most contemporary stations arenât adventurous enough to please their listeners with this kind of songs. But who needs radio anymore to discover great new music?
Lucy Daydream are Paige DuchĂ©Â and Ross Ryan Edsall from Denver, Colorado. They met in the Spring of 2017 when DuchĂ© covered one of Edsallâs original works on YouTube. After reconnecting almost a year later, they started writing songs together. Looking at how prolific they are, they appear to be on a roll.
They donât only write their own songs by the way. In true DIY spirit, they also produce, mix and release them, as well as filming and editing the music videos.
Recommended as well:
Lucy Daydream – Fast Forward
Follow the duo on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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
The Vanns – Feels Good Now
Australian artists are on a roll. I could easily write about Aussi acts only. Hereâs another uplifting track from down under which I love, by South Coast band The Vanns. Feels Good Now is their second new track since releasing their debut album Through The Walls in 2019. Following a melancholic opening minute it bursts open wide with playful drum patterns, electric guitars, and a groovy bass.
Theyâre saving the best for last however. The songâs long outro has a truly nostalgic â70s sound. Lead guitarist Cameron Little explains: âThe song was originally meant to finish with a fade out, but we were having too much fun playing it for it to end so soon. We wrote (and I use that term loosely) the jam at the end of the song at the last minute, before we got in the studio and tracked it.â
He continues: âThematically, Feels Good Now is about taking a risk on something that you feel needs to change in your life despite any anxieties, apprehensions, and reasons why you tell yourself you shouldnât; and actually pulling it off and feeling all the better for it.â
Follow The Vanns on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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
MeLLLo – Crown
Marsheaux are a synthpop duo from Athens, Greece. It was formed in Athens in 2003 by vocalists, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. The name Marsheaux is derived from the first syllable of each band member’s name. If you like acts like Depeche Mode, OMD, Ladytron, Hurts and The Human League, you really need to check out Marsheaux.
Both members also have solo projects. Sophieâs is called Aspra, and Marianthi named hers MeLLLo. The latter just released a new single, and itâs brilliant. Crown incorporates the best elements of all of the acts mentioned above and then some. An upbeat, uplifting and very powerful tune!
Follow MeLLLo on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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
Liberty – Troye Sivan
Donât be mistaken, this article isnât about a new track called Liberty by Aussi superstar Troye Sivan. Itâs the exact opposite, as you might have expected when an artist from the other side of the world is involved. So, letâs talk about LibertyâŠ
Liberty is the artist name of Danish indie-pop artist Mattias Kolstrup. He is the former lead singer of innovative electro-rock outfit DĂșnĂ©. As a solo artist, he channels the power of rock, introvert pop and the energy of a long lost punk-era in his music and style. Since releasing his solo debut album Havenât Felt This Great Since 1988 last year, he put out five new tracks. His up-tempo single Troye Sivan is the latest of the bunch.
Kolstrup explains: âThis is a song about my – not so secret – man crush on the one and only, Troye Sivan. (âŠ) While writing it, it somehow took a life on itâs own incorporating themes of the historic religious opposition to the idea of people of the same sex finding each other attractive. Cause after all: whatâs Jesus got to do with it? Itâs all in the spirit of love, fascination and life.â
Follow Liberty on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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
Thunder Fox – Not For Sale
If you like your music smooth and funky â think Stevie Wonder, Prince or Justin Timberlake â please meet Thunder Fox. Theyâre a band from Sydney, consisting of Sam Dawes (vocals/guitar), Jesse Tachibana (trumpet/vocals/synth), Travers Keirle (saxophone/vocals) and Max Vallentine (drums). Also, new single Not For Sale marks the first contribution a bass player Casey Allan. His input is undeniable on this swinging cut.
Dawes acknowledges this in a comment about the song. He states: âNot For Sale is our introduction to Thunder Foxâs new sound. Casey, being a relatively new addition to the band at the time, brought with him a synth bass and a set of fingers carved by the Gods. Man, he had such a groove on that pile of plastic, the rest of us were floored. We wanted to write something dark, but funky (duh), and bad boy Casey had just the stuff.â
Their second single of 2021, Not For Sale is set to appear on the bandâs next album Sanctuary. Itâll be out later this year.
Follow Thunder Fox on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
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 36):
Wildcard (week 36):
Clara Luciani – Respire Encore
When I first wrote about Clara Luciani, over three years ago, she was an upcoming French singer. By now, we may conclude she delivered on the promise. For those in doubt: just listen to her new album Coeur (âheartâ). Itâs a record that was born out of a profound love for 1960s and â70s music, but in the meantime firmly planted in the 2020s. Thatâs French DJ Breakbotâs contribution to the project. He adds a modern touch to Lucianiâs retro influences.
When the album came out mid-June, I already recommended album cut Respire Encore (âbreathe againâ). A great example of this nu-disco sound. It features a prominent bass and funky guitar riffs, as well as a beautiful string arrangement, played by no less than 18 violinists. Backing vocals are provided by Claraâs older sister Lea Luciani, who was the subject of earlier single Ma Soeur.
Lyrically, Respire Encore is an ode to post-lockdown life. âI wrote this song to convince myself that happier days were coming“, the artist explains. At Carte Blanche Music, weâd like to bring those happier days a little bit closer.
Now the triumphant track has been released as Lucianiâs official new single, weâve chosen Respire Encore as our new Wildcard. This means itâll feature here prominently for a whole week! Even better: itâs the 1.900th Wildcard since I started choosing one on a weekly basis. Easy Lover by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins was the first one, back in 1985!
Recommended as well:
Clara Luciani – Ma Soeur
Clara Luciani – La Grenade
Follow Clara Luciani on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist youâll 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.
