January 22nd, 2022
single trackElisa – Show’s Rollin’
Elisa – Show’s Rollin’
2022 marks the 25th anniversary of Elisa Toffoli’s debut album Pipes And Flowers. And I’m old enough to be able to say I played its singles Sleeping In Your Hand and Labyrinth a lot on the radio at the time. A lot has happened since then. For both of us… 😉
21 years after Elisa won the prestigious Sanremo Festival, the artist is about to put out her double album Ritorno Al Futuro/Back To The Future. That’s right, it’ll contain one disc in Italian and the other in English. Ahead of its 18 February release, the opening songs of both discs – A Tempo Perso and Show’s Rollin’ – have been served up as singles.
The latter is my favourite of the two. Show’s Rollin’ has a soulful vibe and gospel-like choirs. Elisa calls the song ‘the curtain that opens on Back To The Future’. She continues: “I’d like to go back to the future, but I’d like to go back in order to change something. To save what’s precious and to let go of the redundant stuff.”
Recommended as well:
Will We Be Strangers
Follow Elisa 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
Eyjaa – Ultraviolet
Sisters Brynja Mary Sverrisdottir and Sara Victoria Sverrisdottir were born in different countries because their parents had global jobs. Both girls are multi-lingual (they speak seven languages) and multi-instrumentalists. They’re currently based in Denmark, where they’ve been signed by Universal Music.
Ultraviolet is only Eyjaa’s third single and I like it just as much as their first two tracks. It’s another modern pop tune, with a distinct Nordic touch. Brynja says about it: “This song is about the feeling of falling in love and seeing the world in brighter colors and when everything is just a little bit more ultraviolet.”
Recommended as well:
The Wrecking Crew
Don’t Forget About Me
Follow Eyjaa 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 trackEderlezi – Run, Run, Run
Ederlezi – Run, Run, Run
Ederlezi consists of two artists who each have a busy career of their own as well. David Page a guitarist/bass player/singer and collaborator with people like Jonathan Jeremiah, Young Gun Silver Fox and Edwyn Collins. Hannah Nicholson worked with Ellie Goulding, Gary Barlow and Heather Small, and even performed as a backing singer and instrumentalist at Prince William’s wedding.
Together, they’re a London-based duo, who live aboard their beloved Dutch barge Ederlezi. Cruising the river Thames, the boat is not only their home, but also the place where they write, produce and record the music that’ll eventually end up on their debut album. The vessel became the duo’s muse, and also gave them their stage name.
The band take their inspiration from many places. Think of influences like Scott Walker, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell, or the guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll of the ‘50s and the psychedelic ‘60s. Personally, I also hear Johnny Cash, and when I close my eyes I see spaghetti westerns and Quentin Tarantino movies.
Run, Run, Run is Ederlezi’s debut single. Nicholson says about it: “This song was written right at the start of the pandemic. We found ourselves unexpectedly in a suspended time away from our usual busy touring lives. From this out came the song, speaking of addiction, desire, temptation and the human condition”
Follow Ederlezi 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 trackEllis Newman – Leaving The Party
Ellis Newman – Leaving The Party
Within Europe, the best pop music is probably made in Scandinavia. Polished pop, like Dagny’s or Sigrid’s, or pop with more of an edge, like RoseeLu’s or Tove Lo’s. For the 2.0 version of herself, young Dutch singer, songwriter and producer Ellis Sportel draws inspiration from the latter category. She uses her catchy songs to escape daily life, puts emotional and personal lyrics into something to dance to.
In 2021, she came to the scene with three of her own songs and a few collaborations, using the Ellis Newman moniker. If her new single is anything to go by, 2022 will be her year. Leaving The Party has this edgier sound, resulting in a darker, heavier production, minor melodies and even house influences. Call it a party anthem for introverts.
The singer says about the track: “I never really related to the ‘put your hands up’ kind of songs. Since parties can overwhelm me a lot, I’ve always wanted an anti-party song. I don’t know a lot of songs like that so I thought I’d write one from my point of view.”
‘If you’re looking for me, I’ll be leaving the party’, Newman sings. But as far as I’m concerned, the party has just started, and – maybe to her own discomfort – Ellis is the one who’s being celebrated.
Follow Ellis Newman on Facebook | Instagram | 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 trackCaroline & Claude – It’s Not That Bad
Caroline & Claude – It’s Not That Bad
Last summer, Caroline & Claude’s debut single Stir The Pot was a Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. I wasn’t the only one to praise it, by the way. The song was added to the triple j playlist, got over 400 spins on US college radio, airplay on BBC Radio 1, and coverage in multiple magazines.
If you liked that track, you’ll probably like their new single even better. Just try it via the player below. It’s Not That Bad… On the contrary, it’s hard to believe this is only the second track the siblings put out.
It’s Not That Bad totally lives up to the promise of their debut. It’s a huge leap forward, both in song-writing and production-wise. The track was mixed by Joe Brown (XL Recordings) and mastered by Stuart Hawkes (Ed Sheeran, PinkPantheress, Stormzy).
The duo wrote the song quite recently. Caroline explains: “The song is pretty self explanatory. Our candid lyrics discuss the complexity of moving out of a relationship. The song is saying: we’ve both got baggage, but we’ll be okay, I can help you and you can help me. It’s not that bad”.
Recommended as well:
Stir The Pot
Follow Caroline & Claude 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 trackSarpa Salpa – Somebody
Sarpa Salpa – Somebody
Sarpa Salpa are four friends who have featured regularly on the Carte Blanche Music blog since 2019. In the meantime, they’ve been picked up by British radio, resulting in sold-out shows and festival slots. With an appearance at the SXSW showcase festival in Texas planned for March, their international break-through appears to be imminent.
To put extra weight behind their efforts, the band kicks off 2022 with one of their strongest singles to date. Ready for airwaves and stages alike, Somebody starts with what could have been a house piano. Soon however a pumping bass, a driving beat and an infectious guitar melody take over.
Singer Marcus Marooth says about the track: “Somebody is a final goodbye to an old friend after 7 years together. It’s the summary of realisation that we weren’t meant to be and that we are both happier and better off where we are today. It’s a token of thanks and respect to what was as we both head down new paths and better lives. It’s also self reflective in my flaws in my past relationship and what I could’ve done better, what they deserved and simply weren’t getting. It’s my way of pushing her to find someone better than me and not lose confidence or faith in the world!”
Recommended as well:
Another Life
Stick To What You Know
Say Something
Before It Goes Dark
Follow Sarpa Salpa 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 trackDande & The Lion – Cheap Choice
Dande & The Lion – Cheap Choice
Based in Sydney, Dande & The Lion consists of Abbey Gardner (vocals, keys), Natassa Zoë (vocals, guitar), Nicholas Shea (bass) and Chris Gabriel (drums). The band started making waves in 2018, but their new single dates back longer.
UK-born Zoë recalls: “I wrote Cheap Choice a few years back, before Dande & The Lion had formed and just as I was just coming out of a tumultuous relationship. It was also a period in my life when I was feeling especially frustrated, working in a corporate job in which I felt lost and without any real sense of purpose. Cheap Choice represents feeling taken advantage of and being stuck in something that you’re not happy with, whether it be a difficult relationship or a job, and then finding the inner strength to break away from that and align yourself with what truly makes you happy, which for me was Dande & The Lion.”
Despite its subject matter, Cheap Choice isn’t a sad song at all. On the contrary. The track is joyous, bright, bubbling and instantly hummable. It starts with a funky riff and soon builds into an upbeat indie-pop song with a bite to it.
Follow Dande & The Lion 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
Mitski – Love Me More
Japanese-American artist Mitski Miyawaki has been teasing her upcoming album Laurel Hell for a few months now. Due out on 4 February, it’s described as ‘a soundtrack for transformation where vulnerability and resilience, sorrow and delight, error and transcendence can all be seen as human, worthy of acknowledgment, and ultimately, love’. It’ll be her first album in four years’ time, making this Mitski’s longest ever writing process. This concluded amid a radically changed world.
The uplifting track Love Me More is the fourth and last single to be released ahead of the album. It starts as a poppy new wave track, but eventually takes on a clubby vibe. The driving bass and euphoric piano melody during the chorus does the trick. There’s even more tinkling ivory during a solo, halfway the song. After multiple incarnations, Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells was one of the songs that inspired this final version.
Although Love Me More was written before the COVID-19 pandemic, it explores themes of isolation that have grown more poignant in light of recent lockdowns. In reality though, the lyrics see Mitski reflect on the choice she made to become an artist.
Follow Mitski 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 3):
Wildcard (week 3):
Nile Marr – Only Time Can Break Your Heart
Nile Marr has the talent to write catchy pop songs and infectious (guitar) melodies running through his veins. You won’t be surprised to learn he’s the son of Smiths guitarist and successful solo artist Johnny Marr. His first name is a homage to one of his father’s musical heroes, Chic’s Nile Rodgers. But when asked for his influences, he’ll mention Broken Social Scene, Fugazi and Elliott Smith.
Following a 6-year stint as a founding member of indie trio Man Made, Marr Jr. released his solo debut album Are You Happy Now? in 2020. The now 29-year-old artist’s new single, released via Bandcamp and on vinyl, is brand-new. It features How We Drift on one ‘A-side’, and Only Time Can Break Your Heart on the other. Marr recorded both tracks in a studio he built during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. The latter song is by far my favourite.
Jangly and upbeat, Only Time Can Break Your Heart will go down well with fans of bands like The Byrds, R.E.M., The La’s and Big Star. These were bands that made him want to write songs when he first heard them as a kid. “It doesn’t have to be shouty, it doesn’t have to be loud”, he explains. “It’s singing because I like it, it’s melody because I like melody. It’s liberating.”
Only Time Can Break Your Heart by Nile Marr is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Nile Marr on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s 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.
werner's weekly
Werner’s Weekly (week 3)
This is Werner’s 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:
- Iris Gold – Piece Of Mine
(Wildcard this week) - Superbird – Elevation Airways (Wildcard last week)
- Goodbye June – Stand And Deliver
- Karin Simonian – Beat On My Heart
- Spence Paull – When I’m Lonely
- The Vices – Strange Again
- Who Parked The Car – Rock Climbing
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Eddie Vedder, Placebo, Richard Ashcroft, White Lies, The Wombats 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.
